Wherever You Go
by Draven Star
Summary: Another AU story where Padmé is a Sith, Darth Vader's apprentice, like my Dark Hearts story.
1. Default Chapter

Wherever You Go 

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any original characters and dialogue from the movies and books.

Author's note: If you've read any of my other stories, I note on most of them that I use "'o clock" times. I'm not good with military hours, which some people us in their fanfics, so it's just easier for me.

**Chapter One**

The landing lots and pads on Yavin Five were probably cleaner and nicer than those you would find on Tattooine or Coruscant, but there was still something about them that made Syranna uneasy. This one did not have good lighting, except for the afternoon sunlight that came in from the open areas above the pads. She preferred to stay out of the shadows.

"This is it?" she asked, looking at the ship in front of her.

It was a pretty, dark shade of purple. It was not tiny, but small, and not very clean. Syranna guessed that it was probably not even that old, just needed more care.

"What? I like it," Kalie replied. "Considering that I've been working two jobs and you've had one all summer, so that we could save up enough credits to get our own ship, I don't think this is that bad."

"It's dirty."

"It works, and my older brother is practically giving it to us."

Syranna glanced at her friend. "Practically?"

"I told him that I would give him a thousand credits for it," Kalie explained, "since you and I both worked hard, and I didn't want that to be for nothing. So we can split the rest of the money we made."

"Alright."

"Hey, you do want to go, right?"

"Of course," said Syranna. "This is our birthday present to ourselves. We've been talking about it since our _last_ birthday."

She had known Kalie, her best friend, since before she could remember. Kalie's birthday was only two days after Syranna's. The two girls had lived in the same town on Yavin Five since they were born. So far, they had only left the planet twice - once on a school field trip to Yavin Eight, and on a vacation to Naboo last year, with their families.

"Great," said Kalie. "We're sixteen now. Don't be paranoid."

"How am I being paranoid?" asked Syranna.

"You know - whenever I've thought of something exciting to do, you always freak out and think about what if we get caught, what if we get hurt, and so on. You worry too much."

"What's wrong with being cautious?"

"There's a difference between being cautious and being paranoid," Kalie said, smiling. "Try to lighten up."

"Alright. Let's go find your brother and give him the credits, and then get out of here," Syranna told her. "I hate going to landing lots. And while I'm thinking of it, go over the plan one more time."

Kalie sighed with impatience that was only half-faked.

"Our parents think we have an end-of-summer field trip with our class from last year," she said. "We're supposedly going to Tattooine for two weeks. My brother is taking us to the landing lot - here - tomorrow morning. You're spending the night at my house tonight so that we can leave earlier without having to go and pick you up."

"Why do they believe that our class would want to visit Tattooine?" asked Syranna. "It's a desert."

"I told them that we have to learn about different cultures, so the teachers thought Tattooine would be interesting."

"Oh. That works."

Kalie grinned again. "Of course it does. I'm brilliant, aren't I?"

"I'm the other, equally-brilliant half of this duo, right?" asked Syranna, feeling her tension fade away. She trusted Kalie, and herself - both of them had been flying ships since they were thirteen. They should be fine.

Actually, they were already in danger, but neither of them knew it.

They left the large, circle-shaped landing pad. As soon as they stepped off of it, Kalie brushed against someone. It was a figure that was not much taller than her, perhaps by a couple of inches. He or she was was wearing a dark-colored cloak, which had made him or her almost invisible in the dim light.

"I'm sorry," Kalie said.

"It's okay," the being replied, in a female voice.

She looked at the two girls, and they saw that she was a human - not much older than them, perhaps twenty years old at the most. Her skin was cool, and she had chocolate brown eyes. The hood of her cloak hid most of her hair.

"Have we seen you before?" asked Syranna. "Do you go to the Five Hearts Academy?"

"No," the girl answered simply. "I have to go."

"Have a nice day," said Kalie.

As soon as she was out of sight, Syranna said, "What a bitch."

"Maybe she was in a hurry."

"Well, we are, too. We have to leave tomorrow morning. Let's go."

-::-

Unlike Kalie, Emperor Palpatine did not view paranoia as a negative thing - it was simply a more intense version of caution and awareness, which Syranna might agree with. Everybody says that it's better to be safe than sorry, right? Both of Palpatine's castles - the one on Imperial City and the smaller one on Geonosis, which he preferred - had twice as many guards at every door as they had a year ago. He did not even trust the guards that much, but they did not have the nerve to think of assassinating him. Darth Vader and Darth Amidala did.

But Palpatine was paranoid without being afraid, and without lacking confidence in himself. He was the Emperor. He had always been careful, and made sure that he did not trust anyone too much - though he let Lord Vader believe that he did. Not even Vader and his dumb apprentice at his side were enough to make Palpatine nervous. He was just being careful.

Actually, Palpatine did not really think that Lady Amidala was that stupid, or else he would not have given Vader permission to train her. Palpatine almost never asked him about the girl, but he knew that if she were not as strong and skilled as a Sith apprentice needed to be, her master would have killed her by now.

Yes, she probably _was_ skilled. She had probably been sleeping in Vader's bed every night since he found her.

Palpatine, sitting in the throne room of his castle on Imperial City, smiled to himself. He was the Emperor. He would continue being careful.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

When Amidala returned home, the gold, red, and pink splashes in the sky were disappearing as Yavin Two's sunset started to become the darkness of night.

Vader looked at her as she entered the living room of their small house.

He could no longer read her mind, because she was stronger now, but he could still sense her feelings and whether or not she was lying. He guessed what she was thinking right now, though - today, she had been his apprentice for three years. Four days ago, she had turned eighteen. Vader's birthday was the day before that; he had turned twenty-eight.

"You let them go," he said, not needing toword it as a question.

"I apologize, Master," Amidala replied softly, wondering if he was going to hurt her. It had been a few months since the last time she really failed him. There was still a burn mark, about four or five inches long, on her left arm, where his lightsaber blade was held very, very close to her skin.

She knew she had found the right girls - Syranna Tessan and Kalie Yaleez. Kalie was a Twi'lek. Syranna was a human, and the one that Vader and Amidalahad beentrying to locate. She was Force-strong; not as strong as Amidala, but she had enough potential to be useful. Or maybe Vader and the Emperor would just want to get rid of her.

"Do you know where they are going?" Vader asked, not sounding annoyed.

"No, but they are leaving Yavin Five tomorrow morning, Master," Amidala answered. "I put the tracking device on their ship,when I followed them aroundthe landing pad earlier. They are going to several places."

"Why?"

"A vacation or something, I believe. By themselves."

"Then we will follow them. I do not think you should do this alone," Vader said.

Amidala was not sure what he meant by that - did he think she would screw up, or was it that she did not have enough skill and strength to follow the two girls around the galaxy by herself (going over to one of the other Yavin planets had not been as dangerous)? Perhaps both.

She simply made a small bow of her head. "Yes, Master."

-::-

"Be careful," Syranna's mother said.

"We will, Mrs. Tessan," Kalietold her for the third time in the last ten minutes.

"Bring us back some pictures," Mr. Tessan added.

"Sure, Dad," Syranna replied.

She glanced at Kalie with a we'll-make-something-up-later look. Tattooine was not one of the planets on their agenda, and she could not think of some way to get holographs of deserts.

They both hugged each of Syranna's parents, then went outside and put their luggage in the back of Kalie's new yellow speeder. It had been a present from her grandparents for her birthday. Her brother had assured her that the new ship had enough cargo space to hold the speeder.

"I can't believe we're getting away with this," Kalie commented as they got inside.

"Don't get excited until we've actually left the Yavin system," Syranna said, brushing a strand of her shoulder-length brown hair away from her eyes.

Those eyes were a bit strange, because they were green. Her parents both had blue eyes. Neither of them knew where the trait had come from. But Mr. Tessan shared his daughter's brown hair, so she did not think it was too mysterious.

"I'm about to slap you, See-see," said Kalie.

"Hey, don't call me that. You know I hate it."

"Hey, stop raining on all the excitement. You know I hate it."

Syranna smiled. "Sorry."

Nobody was at Kalie's house when the two girls arrived - her parents were on Yavin One, visting another couple they were close friends with, who had a new baby, and her older brother was somewhere with his girlfriend.

They watched a holomovie as they went through their luggage, making sure they had everything. Kalie counted the remaining credits they had, after paying her brother and buying some new clothes. The total was exactly one thousand and ninety-two. Syranna frowned slightly when her friend told her.

"What is it?" asked Kalie.

"It doesn't sound like much."

"It'll be fine. We can stay in the ship most of the time, so we won't have to pay for many hotel rooms."

"I didn't think of that," said Syranna. "Alright. I guess we're ready, then."

-::-

Amidala wanted to take a bath - one of her favorite things to do after being away for most of the day. The warm water was relaxing, and made it more easy for her to quiet her mind and meditate. But she felt tired all of a sudden, so she changed into her nightgown and went to bed.

Her bedroom was almost bare-looking. There was only her nightstand and bed, which had black blankets and pillows, and a dark red armchair on the other side of the room. The carpet was tan. There was one window, next to which were a few empty shelves. But Amidala had her own closet and bathroom, so she would not complain.

Contrary to the remark that Emperor Palpatine had made to himself earlier, Lady Darth Amidala had so far been nothing but Darth Vader's apprentice. She had not thought of him in any other way, just as her master. He was certainly nothing like any teacher that Amidala - well, Padmé - had ever known in school. She was afraid of him, but probably had more respect for him than she did for anybody else.

It felt a little strange, sometimes, that she had only been a Sith forthree years. Her memories from her old life seemed so distant. Even when she reminisced about things that happened before she met her master - her fifteenth birthday, her older sister's wedding, having her first period when she was thirteen, pestering her mom several unsuccessful times for permission to dye her hair blonde - Vader's presence still seemed to linger mysteriously in her mind.

She lay awake in bed for what seemed like an hour, though her wrist chrono, which was lying on the nightstand next to the bed, said it had been less than thirty minutes.

In her first couple of weeks as a Sith apprentice, Darth Vader haunted her in her dreams almost every night. She glad when that ceased. Now she hardly ever dreamed about anything, and if she did, she barely remembered it when she awoke.

A few minutes later, she drifted into sleep.

-::-

Syranna and Kalie left early the next morning, only an hour or so after sunrise. And half-an-hour later, they were already being followed, though neither of them knew it.


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

"Okay, Mom. I have to go. Our teacher doesn't want us to have our comlinks out until we get to Tattooine. Call me later."

Syranna smiled and turned off her comlink.

"Glad to see that you've lightened up," Kalie said. "I'm going to get one of my lekku tattooed."

"Don't. It probably costs a lot."

"I'll use my good looks to get a discount."

Syranna smiled again, but the expression faded quickly this time. "Kalie?"

"Yes?" she replied.

"Are you nervous at all? Or scared?"

"Syranna," Kalie said, "no. I don't even care if our parents find out. There's only two beings in the galaxy that can scare me."

"Darth Vader and Sarra?" her friend guessed.

"I'm not scared of Sarra just because she stole my boyfriend a year ago," Kalie quickly confirmed, obviously annoyed. "Anyway, the people I don't like, besides Darth Vader, are bounty hunters."

"Oh," said Syranna.

"Now," her friend continued, "since it's ridiculous to think we'll run into Darth Vader, and neither of us have any bounties on her head, that we know of, let's both stop being so edgy. If we're risking getting into trouble, let's at least have fun."

"Good point."

"I just realized something," said Kalie.

"So your brain _does_ work."

"Shut up. I just realized that the ship doesn't have a name. What should we call it?"

"How about the _Angel_?" Syranna suggested randomly.

"There's got to be at least ten male pilots who call their ships that," Kaylie said.

"Well, maybe a better idea will come to us later. How long until we reach Naboo?"

"About three more hours, maybe a bit less. The hyperdrive on this ship doesn't work, so we can't jump to lightspeed."

"I knew something was wrong with it."

-::-

The girls' dark purple ship was no longer visible, but the scanner on the dashboard continued to track it, so neither Darth Vader nor Darth Amidala were bothered. Vader briefly wondered if the girls' destination was somewhere nearby, or if they were going to keep traveling at a normal speed.

He glanced at his apprentice, who was sitting in the seat next to his. Underneath her black cloak, she was wearing a short, dark purple dress that wasnearly the same shade as Kalie and Syranna's ship. The edge of the dress stopped just above Amidala's knees, and other than that, she was wearing black boots. The hood of her cloak was not currently covering her head. Her locks of dark brown hair flowed over her shoulders.

Vader had never really taken time to consider her in a non-professional sense - not deeply, anyway - but she was not bad to look at.

"Why don't they just jump to lightspeed?" she asked, mostly talking to herself.

"Perhaps their hyperdrive does not work. Is anyone else with them?"

"Not that I know of, Master. When I followed them yesterday, they talked as if it would be just the two of them going on this trip."

"How long will they be travelling?"

"Two weeks, Master," said Amidala. She glanced at the window of the cockpit. "Their parents think that they are on a field trip, for school."

"They thought of a complex plan?" asked Vader. He was actually being humourous, though his apprentice would probably not see it.

"Some teenagers can do that well," she replied.

"Including you?"

"I don't know. I would never lie to you, Master," Amidala said, speaking softly again, "and I try my best to please you."

"What you actually accomplish is what matters, not what you try," Vader told her.

"Yes, Master."

She looked at the window again. For a moment, there was a trace of sadness in her eyes. But whatever was on her mind, she pushed it away.

-::-

It was afternoon when Kalie and Syranna landed in a lot on Naboo. Originally, Kalie had wanted to see Theed, the capital city. Syranna pointed out that since the palace and other royal places were there, everything would probably be much more expensive, and they needed to make their credits last at least a week.

They landed in a lot outside of a place in the Lake Country, Sparkling Lakes Village. Kalie commented that they could have come up with a more creative name, and Syranna agreed with her. It was the largest town in the Lake Country, but was not as busy and loud as a city.

Once they left the lot, the two girls decided to walk around, since they had been sitting in their still-nameless ship for the past few hours.

"Besides the dumb name, this place is beautiful," Syranna said softly, making sure nobody overheard the first part of her comment.

"Yeah," said Kalie. She glanced to their left. Outside of the town, in that direction, were two large ponds.

"We should go swimming."

"I didn't bring a bathing suit."

"Neither did I," Syranna replied. "We can go shopping."

"Alright."

-::-

They went to a restaurant first, then shopped for a couple of hours. It was hot outside. For some odd reason, Syrenna once felt a brief wave of coolness around her neck and shoulders. She thought she was imagining it, so she said nothing to Kalie.

By the time they arrived at the ponds, it was early evening. They went to the smaller pond, which was less crowded. Only two Gungans, a human family, and a group of eight teenagers - Kalie counted three humans, three Twileks, and two Zabraks - were around.

They set their towels on the grass, a few yards away from the edge of the water.

"Do I look fat?" Syranna asked, adjusting the strap of her bright green, one-piece suit.

"Don't start that - and no, you don't," answered Kalie as she sat on her towel. Her suit was the same style as her friend's, except it was yellow.

"Wake me up if I fall asleep."

"I was just about to say the same thing to you. Let's just stay awake."

"Alright," said Syranna, though that would probably be difficult with the warm sunlight - which was not as sweltering hot as it had been a couple of hours ago - shining on her.

Both of them were quiet for almost half-an-hour. Kalie ocassionally glanced at her friend, to make sure she had not dozed off, and also watched the other teenagers in the water. One of the Twi'leks looked handsome...and one of the human girls appeared to be his girlfriend.

_Just my luck_, Kalie thought. Oh well, this was only the first planet they had visited.

She looked over at the human family. The woman was nagging her son about not going too far into the water by himself. He seemed to be ignoring her.

Another being came to the pond then, a teenage human girl. She stopped about fifteen or twenty feet away from Kalie and Syranna. She comfortably sat on the ground, not caring about grass stains or flecks of sand getting on her black bikini. Her dark brown hair was tied up, on the back of her head.

"Syranna," Kalie said, not sure why she was whispering.

"What?"

Kalie noticibly twitched her right lekku. Syranna understood, and glanced in that direction, seeing the girl.

"What about her?" she asked.

"Does she look familiar?" Kalie asked in Twi'lek.

Syranna, who had taken the language every year in school and learned it from her friend's family as well, shook her head slightly.

"The landing lot on Yavin Five, yesterday. The girl I accidently bumped into."

"Oh. How do you know that's her?" Syranna whispered. "It was sort of dark, and she was wearing a cloak."

"I just know it's her, trust me. What do you think she's doing here?"

"We don't own Naboo. She can come here, too, if she wants. There's nothing weird about it."

"I suppose," said Kalie.

Suddenly, the girl looked right at them. For a moment, they both froze.

_She understands Twi'lek. She knows what we were saying_, Syranna thought.

But then the girl looked over at the lake, and laughed softly to herself about something. Syranna relaxed.

For the next few minutes, Kalie still seemed to be faintly bothered by the girl's presence. Finally, Syranna asked her if she wanted to go to a café and get hot chocolate or something. She nodded, and did not hesitate before standing and picking up her towel.

-::-

Amidala did not leave the pond until Kalie and Syranna had gone. She did not want either of the girls to notice that she also decided to leave around the same time they had. She was not sure what they had been discussing in that other language - which she guessed was Twi'lek - but she had noticed Kalie twitching a lekku in her direction.

_I cannot be too obvious_, she thought. _My master will be angry_.

She glanced at the burn mark on the underside of her arm. It was not really noticeable unless you were close to her, but if it had not completely faded by now, it would probably be a permanent scar.

She got up and brushed any sand off of her lower back and butt. She decided to go back to her and Darth Vader's ship before following the girls further. Briefly, she glanced at the other kids that were shoving each other in the pond. A Twi'lek male picked up one of the human girls. She giggled.

_Kids. I am only eighteen. They must all be around my age_, she thought.

But she did not feel like a teenager anymore, just as she did not feel strange about coming to Naboo. Sparkling Lakes Village was far from the area she had lived in, but even if Vader and Amidala had followed Syranna and Kalie to Theed, she probably would have felt no more nostalgia than a tourist who had never been to Naboo before.


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

Darth Amidala followed the girls at a distance, and as soon as they were inside the town again, she spotted her master. She went over to him, glancing at Syranna and Kalie again as she did so.

The two girls walked right past Darth Vader - within two feet of him - without having any idea who he was. Nobody except Amidala and Emperor Palpatine recognized him without his black armor and mask.

As for Amidala, she always wore colored eye contacts and cloaks, along with veils that covered at least half her face, whenever she and her master were at an Imperial base or on one of the Star Destroyers. No one ever recognized her, either. Only Palpatine and Vader knew her as Darth Amidala. The other Imperial officers and Stormtroopers who saw her always called her Lady Amidala. They assumed that she was one of Vader's agents or a friend of his, since they had to call her "Lady".

Vader and Amidala heard Syranna say, "I feel cold."

"It's still warm outside," Kalie replied.

The two of them went into a nearby café. Amidala, still wearing only her bikini, looked at Vader.

"Should I follow them, Master?" she asked.

"No," he said. "Wait until they come out."

-::-

"What's wrong with you?" Kalie asked as they sat down at one of small tables. Now, her voice had a softer, more caring tone rather than an irritated one.

"Nothing," Syranna answered. "I'm fine, really."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Are you sure that girl at the lake didn't bother you?"

"Yes. It's coincedence - or you were right; that probably isn't the same girl," Kalie admitted.

Syranna nodded, and they were both quiet for a few minutes.

Finally, Syranna was about to say something, but stopped when a Zabrak approached their table.

"Hi," he said.

"Hello," Kalie replied cautiously.

"My friends and I saw you at the pond earlier. We're having a party at my house. Wanna come?"

Kalie smiled. "Sure."

"Thank you," Syranna added, also with a smile, but hers was fake. She gave her friend a what-are-you-doing look.

"Great," the Zabrak replied.

Syranna and Kalie followed him, even though they had not yet ordered anything to drink. At first, even Kalie thought that this might not have been a good idea, but was reassured when she saw that the other kids from the group at the pond were waiting outside.

Once again, Syranna felt a brief chill around her neck and shoulders. This time, she did not really think she was imagining it, but did not let it bother her.


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

Syranna and Kalie uncomfortably introduced themselves to the other teenagers - doubting that they would remember most of their names - as they walked to the Zabrak boy's house. There were already at least ten or fifteen other guests there, judging from the noise. Syranna doubted that many of them had actually been invited.

Darth Vader and Darth Amidala waited a moment before following the others inside. Their presences were hidden, so no one saw them right now.

Amidala was now wearing tight black pants and a long-sleeved, light grey shirt. She had gone into a store, while the girls were in the café, and quickly bought the clothes. In case Syranna and Kalie noticed her again, she wanted to look more like another teenager that was out having a good time.

"Syranna seems...uneasy, Master," she said. "Can she sense us?"

"Not conciously," he answered. "She has most likely never heard of the Force, and she is unaware of us."

Amidala nodded. "Are going in there?"

"I do not think anyone would notice if we did," Vader said.

"Should we hide ourselves?"

"No. There are a lot of people in there. We will not look suspicious."

Amidala nodded again. She briefly looked down at her black sandals, which were starting to hurt her feet a little, then looked at the house. For a moment, she remembered begging her mother to let her have a huge party for her fifteenth birthday. Jobal had refused because she wanted the family to go out to dinner instead.

Amidala pushed the memory away as she and her master went inside the house.

-::-

Surprisingly, Syranna was actually quite outgoing at most parties and school dances, and, it was usually her who was encouraging to Kalie to drink something or talk to somebody. But both of them were equally at ease here, despite being surrounded by complete strangers. These were just a bunch of other teenagers, around their ages - how could any of them be dangerous?

The two of them went into the kitchen. They offered to help the Zabrak boy's girlfriend - Syranna forgot her name - with the drinks.

"Where are you two from?" she asked.

"The Yavin system - Yavin Five," Kalie said.

"Are you here by yourselves?"

"Our parents think we're on a field trip," Syranna replied, not directly answering the question.

The Zabrak girl smiled as she filled a cup with water. "Wow. You actually got away with it?"

"We have so far."

"Good luck."

"Thank you," Kalie said.

Two girls, a Twi'lek and a Zabrak, entered the kitchen. The Twi'lek had flowery patterns tatooed all over each of her lekku. Syranna winced just from thinking about how much that must have hurt.

"Need any help, Tarozza?" the Zabrak girl asked.

"No," Tarozza answered.

That's her name, Kalie thought.

"Would you mind if we left?" asked Syranna.

"No. Go ahead. I think we've got enough drinks."

"Hardly anyone's going to be drinking water," the Twi'lek girl added.

-::-

By now, almost everyone had gone out into the backyard. Syranna and Kalie went into the living room. A Twi'lek pair and two human boys were already there, as well as a human couple.

Syranna did not need to glance at Kalie when she saw the human couple. It was the brown-haired girl from the lake - no mistaking her this time - and a blonde-haired man. They were sharing an ugly bright green armchair; the girl sitting on her companion's lap.

"...and the krayt dragons weren't out because it was too hot," one of the human boys was saying.

"What zoo was that?" the Twi'lek girl asked, leaning against her boyfriend.

"The Theed Gardens Zoo," answered the other human boy. "One time we snuck away from our group and tried to feed the banthas."

"Exciting," Syranna commented sarcastically as she sat next to Kalie on one of the couches, which was the same shade of green as the armchair.

"It was their mating season. They were cranky."

"Oh," said Kalie, not sounding impressed.

The Twi'lek girl looked in the direction of the armchair.

"Are you her boyfriend?" she asked the blonde-haired man.

"Yes," he answered.

Amidala was not surprised at all; this was not the first time she had pretended to be her master's girlfriend, wife, or some other disguise. She was not completely uncomfortable sitting on his lap and leaning against him, since it was necessary for the act.

For a moment, she dared to look at Syranna and Kalie. Kalie noticed, and quickly glanced at the floor.

"Rion!" a female voice called from the kitchen.

One of the human boys got up and left. His friend went along with him.

"Were you at the pond earlier?" the Twi'lek girl ask, looking at Kalie and Syranna.

"Yes," said Kalie.

"It's supposed to be getting cold in the next month or two."

"It's barely the end of summer," the male Twi'lek argued, though he reached over and briefly kissed her cheek, then her neck.

Vader sensed all of the feelings in the room - there were not many coming from the Twi'lek teens; both of them were probably too drunk to be deeply emotional right now. Kalie was uneasy, as well as Syranna, but both seemed to be bothered by things other than seeing a mysterious brown-haired girl here.

"It's cold in here," Syranna commented softly.

The male Twi'lek looked at her. "What? I was about to suggest that someone turn the air conditioning on. I'm almost sweating."

"Me, too," said Kalie.

"Then I'll shut up," Syranna said.

The Twi'lek girl glanced at the human couple again. "Is he really your boyfriend?"

Amidala looked at her, and spoke with a hint of annoyance. "Of course. Why?"

"You're not acting like it."

"How so?" asked Kalie.

"This is a party. They're not even kissing or anything."

_No one has ever said _that_ to us before_, Amidala thought.

Vader touched her face, lightly running his fingers across her cheek. She leaned closer to him, trying not to think very much, and kissed him. She had expected him to give her a quick, fake kiss, but instead he deeply moved his lips with hers for a several seconds - which seemed like long minutes to Amidala, and...

"Okay, you two can get a room now," Kalie joked.

Amidala looked at her with a forced smile. She was angry, suddenly having an urge to kill the girl for ruining the moment. If they were not at a party, she probably would have.

Vader felt his apprentice's frustration. He lightly rubbed her lower back, underneath the edge of her shirt. It made her shiver. Her irritation faded. She was more confused now.

"I'm tired," Syranna said to Kalie, in Twi'lek. "Let's go."

"Good night," said the Twi'lek girl.

Kalie glanced at Amidala and Vader, but said nothing to them. She seemed to want to leave the house as quickly as possible.

-::-

Syranna and Kalie's ship had only a single small room at the back, which they used as their bedroom. Kalie's brother had gotten two small beds for it. The beds took up all but three feet, perhaps four, in the middle of the tiny room, but Syranna said they should think of it as "cozy".

"Do you think she followed us?" Kalie asked as she opened a bottle of light pink nail polish.

Syranna, sitting on her bed, started to brush her hair. "Who?"

"Who do you think? That brown-haired girl."

"No, I don't."

"She was at the lake, and then at the party, too, Syranna."

"So?" Syranna asked. "Maybe the Zabrak kid saw her and invited her, too, and she decided to bring her boyfriend along. Now you're the one who's being paranoid."

"You're right." Kalie realized she had not started to paint her nails yet. She began with her right thumb. "Anyway, where are we going next?"

"Alderaan?"

"No. Something that's sort of different from Naboo."

Syranna thought. "Tattooine? Coruscant?"

"Coruscant sounds good, if we remember to call it Imperial City while we're there," said Kalie.

"Alright, but let's spend another day here. I want to enjoy lying by the lake and getting a tan."

"Okay. Oh, I just remembered - call your mom, and make it sound like we're at a hotel."

"Thanks for reminding me."

-::-

Darth Vader and Darth Amidala, their presences hidden, left the landing lot when it seemed as if the girls were not going to change their mind and decide to go out again.

Amidala had that almost feeling of a teenage girl who has just had her first kiss - only it did not seem sweet and magical to her, but ridiculous. She did not know why she was thinking about it. Vader had only done that for their disguise, so there was no need to be excited about it.

_Excited_, the Sith apprentice thought, silently scolding herself.

But that had been her first real kiss. It made her feel even more ridiculous, since she was already eighteen years old.

_If my master could still read my thoughts, he would hit me_.

That made the fluttery, glittery feeling go away. Amidala shivered.

-::-

"We can't get any holographs," said Syranna. "Kalie dropped the camera and it broke. Yeah, I know. Maybe we can borrow somebody's."

"Sure, blame it on me," Kalie whispered, "even if you're making it up."

Her friend smiled.

On the other end of the connection, her mom reminded her about being careful.

"I love you, too, Mom. Good night."

Syranna turned off her comlink and put it inside one of her luggage bags.

"I'm tired," she said.

"I'm not."

"I'm going to sleep. Do what you want," said Syranna. Sometimes, she and her best friend sounded so much like sisters, despite the fact that Kalie was a Twi'lek.

Kalie went to bed, since she actually was tired. She turned off the small room's lights, and had no trouble walking back to her bed in the darkness, since there was not much space to walk around in. When she snuggled under the blankets, she drifted into sleep almost instantly.

Syranna, however, lay awake for more than half-an-hour. She wondered if her parents or Kalie's had somehow figured out, by now, that the two girls were not really on a school field trip. Since she was just talking to her mother a couple of minutes ago, that seemed unlikely.

For no particular reason, a memory came to her mind then. She had not thought about it in a while.

She was ten years old - and it was easy to remember that, because it happened on her tenth birthday, and was heading toward her living room to ask her parents something, she had forgotten what. She stopped just outside the entrance of the room, because she had the feeling that her mom and dad were angry about something. Children had a way of sensing moods, it seemed.

"We'll tell her when she's old enough to know," her mother had said. She did not sound irritated, but her voice had a calm, that's-my-decision tone.

Syranna had not thought much of it then. She turned around and went back to her bedroom.

She did not think much of it now, either. She supposed that they had just been discussing whether or not to explain something like violence in holomovies, or maybe puberty and having periods every month. Whatever it was, they had probably discussed it with her already, since she was now sixteen.

A few minutes later, she fell asleep.

-::-

Darth Amidala was not easily resting, either.

Amidala and Darth Vader's had only one small room in the back, though theirs was bigger. Normally, that did not bother the Sith apprentice. On more than one occassion, they had shared a bed whenever they were not at home, and she thought nothing of it.

Now she did, as she and Vader went back to that room. She thought of taking a shower in the ship's tiny refresher, but there was not much point in trying to avoid going to bed. That made her feel more ridiculous, and worse than that, her master seemed to sense her uncomfortable mood. Sometimes, she found it hard to believe that he could not read her thoughts anymore.


	6. Chapter Six

qtrhrs78: Actually, I only uploaded Chapter One and forgot to upload the next four, so your review wasn't really premature. 

**Chapter Six**

Syranna and Kalie went to the ponds again the next morning. They had expected them to be slightly less crowded than yesterday, but almost fifty other residents and tourists seemed to have gotten the same idea. They decided to come back later.

They went shopping for the next hour, and stopped at a café. Syranna became almost paranoid about making sure they saved most of their money. Her friend wondered if they weren't going to go home with a few hundred credits that had not been spent.

For the entire day, they did not see the brown-haired human girl, or her boyfriend. Syranna stopped worrying about her. Kalie was right - it was just a coincedence that she had happened to visit Naboo at the same time as they did.

The next morning, they left for Coruscant, with Darth Vader and Darth Amidala following.

-::-

Just as Syranna was no longer worrying, Lady Amidala had forgotten about kissing her master. Well, she had not completely forgotten - it _was_ her first kiss - but the hint of magical excitement was gone. They had just kissed for their disguise. There was no reason for her to make a big deal out of it.

She was relieved, though, that her master had not sensed her earlier feelings and punished her.

"Should we let them see us here, Master?" she asked, when Coruscant was coming into view.

"No. They will notice. Wait until the next planet they visit."

Amidala nodded. "I hope they will have their hyperdrive fixed here. I hate travelling so slowly."

"You still have not learned much patience," Vader said. He did not mean it, though. It was actually quite rare for his apprentice to show any sign of impatience.

"Please forgive me, Master," she replied softly. She paused. "Is the Emperor here?"

"He left yesterday. Most likely he will be away for a week or so."

Amidala nodded again, then remembered something.

"Master," she said, "the tracking device that I put on Kalie and Syranna's ship will automatically turn off within the next few days."

"And?" he asked.

"Their ship will need another one. I heard Kalie say that they are travelling for two weeks."

"We will deal with that later."

-::-

"Isn't this great, Syranna?" Kalie exclaimed. "We're on Coruscant - I mean, Imperial City - with no parents."

"Yeah," she replied, obviously in a much better mood. "Where should we go first?"

"Let's just walk someone."

"I don't want to go too far from the landing lot. We'll probably get lost easily."

"Don't worry," said Kalie, glancing at a couple of Twi'lek boys, around their age, who were entering a tavern.

"Want to know something weird?" Syranna asked.

"What's that?"

"I don't feel strange here."

Kalie looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"We really have no idea where we are - we're hardly familiar with Imperial City - but I feel as comfortable as I do on Yavin Five."

"You're probably just relaxed because we're on a vacation."

"I didn't feel like this on Naboo, and Sparkling Lakes Village is a bit safer than Imperial City, isn't it?" Syranna joked.

Kalie twitched one of her lekku. "Yes. But don't worry about it. Let's get something to eat."

-::-

They went to a small restaurant that was clean, though expensive. But for once, Syranna did not complain about how many credits they spent. Strangely, she would not mind if they spent the rest of their vacation on Imperial City. She did not suggest that to her companion, though.

"I'm going to get a tattoo here," Kalie said, glancing at her plate, on which was fish and some kind of dark green rice.

"Me too, maybe," Syranna replied. "But let's go back to the ship before night-time. I don't want to be on the streets when it's dark."

"We'll be fine. It's not like a Sith ghost is going to attack us."

"A what ghost?"

"Sith. You know, Darth Vader is one - Dark Lord of the Sith."

"I know, but why did you say 'ghost'?" asked Syranna, realizing she had not yet tried her bantha steak.

"The Sith," her friend explained, lowering her voice. "There used to be a lot of them, but most are dead now. Lord Vader is the only one that anybody seems to mention, anyway."

"Oh."

Kalie smiled to herself for a moment.

Syranna looked at her. "What is it?"

"Nothing. Something I heard."

"Tell me."

"Well, my brother's girlfriend told me about some stupid old...legend...that sort of thing."

"Is there actually one, or are you making this up as you go along?" Syranna demanded. But she smiled. "What is it?"

Kalie twitched one of her lekku, then took an intentionally long sip of water. She leaned foward a bit.

"If you gather a few certain items, you can bring back a dead Sith."

Syranna smiled again. "Items? And let me guess - you have to say some kind of magic words."

"Lerassa didn't mention any."

"Then if it were real, how would it work?"

"I don't know." Kalie shrugged. "She probably made it up."

"Did she sound like she was?"

"No."

"Do you know everything you have to get?" Syranna asked, and it was obvious what she was thinking.

Kalie nodded.

"Then let's do it."

"Why?"

"Just for fun."

Kalie shrugged. "Alright. Here's what we need..."


	7. Chapter Seven

nextwave00: I don't know if they can or not, just a weird idea I had. This story is mostly AU, though. 

**Chapter Seven**

"I think that Lerassa was just joking with you," Syranna said, sitting down on her bed, in the ship's tiny bedroom. The ship still did not have a name, she realized.

"What's so ridiculous about that?" Kalie asked.

"A dead snake," her friend repeated. "You should have mentioned this while we were on Naboo. How are we going to find a dead snake on Imperial City?"

"It has to be a poisonous snake."

"Do we have to be the ones to kill it?"

"No," said Kalie. "Lerassa didn't say so. Why?"

Syranna shrugged. "Sith. They're creepy. Maybe the snake has to be one that you've _killed_."

"Well, once we find a poisonous snake somewhere, we'll probably have to kill it anyway."

"You can do that part," Syranna said.

"Let's just find one first. Then we'll argue about that," Kalie replied.

She went over to their luggage and opened one of her bags, rummaging until she found one of her coats. It was cold in the ship.

"I was mostly kidding when I said we should do this, you know," Syranna told her. "Forget it."

"No. You said you wanted to. And it's not going to work, anyway."

"Okay. Whatever."

-::-

Darth Vader and Darth Amidala did not see the girls again until later, when they entered a casino. Both of them managed to go inside without anyone asking about their ages. It was easy for Vader and Amidala, as well; they just hid their presences. They made themselves visible again once they were inside.

Amidala had tried again to dress like a normal teenager, in a short red dress that stopped above her knees, and her black boots. She stayed close to her master, as usual, hoping that neither Syranna nor Kalie would notice her.

She and Vader saw them go over to the drink bar on the other side of the casino. The two Sith followed, but stayed several feet behind.

Watching them, it seemed to Amidala that Syranna tried to order a drink, but the bartender, a human man, was not sure about how old she was. Kalie was did not have much luck, either.

Amidala smiled faintly for a moment. She herself, and a few of her friends, had tried to do the same thing when she was fifteen. It was at her cousin's birthday party. That was only a few days before Darth Vader found her.

She turned her attention back to the present. Once again, she had the strange feeling that her master knew what she had been thinking, even if he could not read her mind now. He could sense her feelings, though, so he must have some idea of any nostalgia she had felt just now.

Kalie moved to Syranna's side, and they both tried convincing the bartender yet another time. After a moment, he sighed, and finally reached below the counter, taking out a couple of short glasses. He was probably more annoyed than tricked. Amidala smiled again.

Then Kalie looked right in her and Vader's direction. Amidala turned to her master, but the girl had to have seen her face already. She and her master were not hidden right now.

Kalie said something to Syranna, in Twi'lek. She nodded.

"They saw us, Master," Amidala said, glancing at him.

"Hide yourself."

They both did. Kalie glanced toward them again, then laughed about something. Perhaps she had not really noticed them at all.

Vader touched his apprentice's wrist, almost startling her for some reason.

"They do not care."

"But they know that we are on Imperial City, Master," Amidala replied softly.

"If they do, they are not bothered," he told her, almost hinting that the alcohol beverages would probably keep them from being paranoid.

He noticed that he was still holding her wrist, and let go.

-::-

Kalie Yaleez had said that she was only afraid of two things - bounty hunters and Darth Vader - but as she and Syranna left the casino, walking through the crowded streets at night made her nervous, as well. Still, she did not want her friend to see it, so she acted no different than she would during the daytime.

"Stop," Syranna said.

Kalie paused, and saw what she had noticed. Right ahead of them, next to a café, was a pet store. The lit-up sign indicated that it was still open.

She twitched one of her lekku. "How many credits do we have left?"

"We have one-hundred-and-forty with us, after spending thirty on the drinks," answered Syranna. There was a trace of annoyance in her voice.

"It was your idea," Kalie replied. "Let's go and see what they have."

-::-

Darth Amidala followed them inside the pet store, her presence hidden, while her master waited. She did understand why they did not just capture the girls already, but was definately going to question her master about it. Besides, she was slightly curious about what they wanted to buy from a pet store. If their parents thought they were on a field trip, it would seem sort of strange that their teachers didn't care if they brought an animal home. They would have to think of some way to explain that.

A very young rancor, which would probably not reach Amidala's knee if it stood next to her, was wandering freely around the store. After a few moments, it approached her, growling.

She was not surprised; a lot of animals were able to see Force-strong beings when they were hidden.

"Stop that, Kori," the store's owner, a human woman with orange-streaked blonde hair, called from behind the counter. "There's nobody there."

Kori sniffed at Amidala. He did not follow her as she walked away, but continued watching.

Syranna and Kalie were in the back of the store, looking at the tanks of snakes, frogs, and lizards. The unseen Sith apprentice stood just behind them, since they were speaking softly, almost whispering. For some reason, that intrigued her a little.

"Those are poisonous," Kalie said, pointing to one of the smaller tanks. Two bright yellow snakes were coiled inside.

"They're eighty credits each," Syranna replied. "We're not spending that much on a snake that we're just going to kill."

"Well what do you want to do? Steal it?"

Those words made Amidala more curious.

Syranna sighed. "No. I guess we'll have to buy one of them, then. Before we leave Imperial City, we can go to the one of the casinos and try to win more money."

Kalie smiled. "Good idea. I'm great with cards."

Amidala turned and left them, wanting to tell Darth Vader what she had just heard. Kori snarled at her as she walked past him, but did not try to bite her.

-::-

Her master was still patiently waiting as she approached him.

"They are buying a snake," she said, shedding her invisibility for now. She did not think Kalie and Syranna would be looking out for her, anyway.

"You came over here to tell me that?" he asked.

"They are only buying it so that they can kill it, Master. I thought that was odd," Amidala explained. "Should I go back inside?"

"No," Vader answered.

Suddenly he pulled her close to him, and kept his arms around her. She was startled, and for the first time all day, she thought about the kiss at the party.

-::-

"It's her!" Syranna said. She almost forgot to lower her voice, so the second word came out more softly than the first.

"Is something wrong?" the store owner asked as she put the yellow snake inside a small container.

"No," Kalie lied, glancing at the store entrance. She recognized the two people that were standing just outside.

"And these are poisonous?" Syranna asked. "It's for our research project."

"Yes," the store owner replied. "Can I help you with anything else?"

"No, thanks," Kalie said, still looking at the entrance.

The orange-haired woman went to the back of the store, with the baby rancor following.

"Coincedence," Syranna said.

"Don't tell me you actually think that. That girl happened to be on Yavin Five, then happened to go to the party on Naboo, and--"

"You said before that we don't know she was on Yavin Five. It was too dark to tell."

"Well, let's go over there and say hello. Maybe we can talk and find out what they want," Kalie suggested.

The mysterious brown-haired girl hugged her equally-suspicious blonde boyfriend, looking up at him as if she did not care about anything else in the galaxy right now. He stroked her long hair and said something; the two girls were not close enough to hear what it was.

"Let's not disturb them," Kalie said, turning to Syranna. "Come on. We'll just leave and act like we didn't even notice them."

"Alright. First, though, what do we have to get next?" she whispered.

"A flower from a poisonous plant."

"I'm not surprised."


	8. Chapter Eight

eridani: One thing I don't like about Padme's character in the movies is that at times, she's sort of snotty and sarcastic with Anakin. That's why I don't make her that way in my stories. I've read a lot of fanfiction where she almost always calls him "Skywalker" even though he's her own husband. As for angst, I don't usually write it because there's so many angsty, dramatic Episode 3 prediction stories, which I find very boring. I love the idea of Padmé being on the dark side, with her husband, which is why I write so many AU stories like that. 

**Chapter Eight**

Vader and Amidala returned to their speeder after Syranna and Kalie walked past them. Both felt the nervousness coming from the two girls. Amidala was a bit surprised that her master did not care to see where they were heading.

"We're going to lose them, Master," she said. She did not think about how he had hugged her just now, or tried not to, at least. The kiss did come back to her mind.

"No. You are going to stay with them," he told her. Neither of them made any move to get into the speeder.

"Alone?"

"Yes. I am returning to the Executor." Vader looked at her. "I believe you can handle watching Kalie and Syranna. Hopefully you will not prove me wrong."

"They may decide to leave Coruscant within the next day or so, Master," Amidala said.

"Then you will have to keep them here," he told her.

"Yes, Master."

"Take the other speeder."

Amidala nodded, knowing where the "other" speeder was. It was parked in a lot about a mile away from here.

She did not watch her master as he left. Already she was trying to think of how she was going tostop Syranna and Kalie from leaving Coruscant. It was then that she realized they were getting farther away from her at the moment, and she would only have Syranna's Force-strong presence to give her some idea of how close they were.

She sighed and began walking in the direction they had gone.

-::-

"Where are we going to find plants for sale?" Syranna asked. "Much less poisonous ones. Let's forget it."

"We just bought a snake," Kalie said.

"So? It's not like this would even work, anyway. I don't care that we wasted eighty credits on the snake. Let's take it back to the pet store and do something else."

"Scared?"

"No. I'm the one who said we should do it," Syranna replied, almost snapping. "And it's stupid, anyway. Do you really think that we could bring a Sith back to life? Even if what Lerassa told you is true, you probably have to be a Sith yourself."

A Zabrak boy, who seemed to be in a hurry, brushed against Kalie's shoulder. She ignored it.

"Lerassa didn't say that," she said.

"Because she didn't know, maybe. And that's _if_ she wasn't making it up." Syranna sighed. "Besides, why would we want to bring a Sith back to life, anyway?"

"True," Kalie replied. "I guess our main problem is that brown-haired girl and her boyfriend."

"If they're even following us. Don't worry about them."

-::-

The girls walked back to the pet store and returned the snake, saying that they had gotten the wrong species. The orange-haired woman was kind enough to refund their money, so Syranna was not upset about wasting any of the money they had left. Afterwards, Kalie suggested that they go back to the ship for the night.

As she followed them out of the pet store, hidden, Darth Amidala realized she did not have anywhere to stay, nor did she have any money with her.

An idea came to her then. Darth Vader had told her to stay with Syranna and Kalie. He might not have meant that she should hang out with them (and she could not remember the last time she said a teen phrase like "hang out" aloud), but that would be a good way for her to watch them.

Her only problem would be their suspicions about why she had been on Naboo and was now here, but she could make something up.

And in the back of Amidala's mind, there was a faint, tiny hint of a wish to spend a little time with a couple of girls around her age. Her memories of sleepovers and parties at Sabe's and Ollana's houses were so vague.

She pushed them away. She was a Sith now. She liked - no, loved it. It was her life, and she was endlessly greatful to Vader for deciding to train her.

Ahead of her, Kalie and Syranna were still standing just inside the pet store's entrance, discussing whether or not they should go get a drink before returning to the ship. Amidala made herself visible again. It was good timing; Syranna glanced in her direction then.

She let out an irritated sigh.

"What do you want?" she almost demanded, without really thinking.

Amidala moved a bit closer to them, keeping a few steps between. "Excuse me?"

"Why are you and your boyfriend following us?" Kalie asked softly, not wanting anyone else in the store to overhear.

"What are you talking about?"

"You know."

"Forgive me, but I'm not sure that I do."

"We saw you at the lake, on Naboo," Syranna said, "and you were at the party, and this is the second time you've been at the pet store with us."

Kalie was about to mention bumping into the girl at the lot on Yavin Five, but changed her mind.

Amidala tried not to hesitate for very long before answering. "I wasn't at a lake. My boyfriend and I saw you at the party, and we live here on Coruscant."

She meant to say Imperial City, but she knew that a lot of citizens still referred to the planet as Coruscant sometimes.

"Okay, then. Why have you been at this store at the same time as us? Twice?" asked Syranna.

"I could ask you the same question. But we've been to three pet stores today, not including this one."

"Why?" Kalie asked. Surprisingly, her tone was now more curious than defensive.

Amidala shrugged. "My cousin wants some kind of frog for his birthday. We haven't found it yet."

"Oh," said Syranna. She paused. "I'm very sorry for our rudeness. I feel ridiculous."

"It's alright." Amidala thought for a moment. "I'm not in the greatest mood, either. I don't have any money with me, and my boyfriend had to take the speeder to...his parent's house."

Kalie nodded. "That sucks. Why didn't you go with him?"

"I thought I had money with me, for an air taxi," Amidala lied, "but I don't. I'm going to have to get a hotel room somehow, and try to get back to my house tomorrow."

"But don't you live here?" Syranna asked.

"We both live on the other side of the planet."

Kalie glanced at her friend, then said, "You could stay with us."

"What?"

"Really. Just so that you have somewhere to stay tonight."

"You're not going to have much luck getting a free hotel room here," Syranna added.

Amidala smiled. "You really don't mind?"

"Of course not."

-::-

They stopped at a café on the way back to the ship. As they sat down at the only empty table left, one of the girls finally asked Amidala what her name was.

"Ami," she told Syranna.

"I'm Syranna," she said, "and this is Kalie, in case you didn't catch our names before."

"Thank you again for letting me stay with you," Amidala replied. "How long are you going to be on Cor-- Imperial City?"

"Another day, maybe two," Kalie answered.

Syranna glanced down at her coffee. "I'd like to stay for a few days."

"You must like it here," Amidala commented.

"I do, really. I would like to move here when I'm done with school."

Kalie was surprised by that. "Really?"

"Just a thought," her best friend answered, though she sounded as if she had already made a decision to come here.

Amidala made a fake smile, and took a sip from her glass of water. She thought of the time she and Vader went to Tattooine, to track down a bounty hunter that had somehow angered the Emperor. A glass of ice water had been ten or fifteen credits in most of the taverns and resturaunts there. Amidala also remembered that her master did not seem to like the desert planet very much.

"What is your boyfriend's name?" Syranna asked her.

Amidala thought. Wanting a few more seconds, she asked, "I'm sorry? I wasn't paying attention."

"What is your boyfriend's name?"

"Luke."

"You're cute together," Kalie said.

Amidala found that amusing for some reason. She giggled. "Thank you."

"How long have you been together?" asked Syranna.

"Three years. He is my fiancee, to be more clear."

"Oh. Congratulations."


	9. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

When the three of them went to the ship, Kalie volunteered to sleep on the floor, so that Amidala could use her bed. Amidala believed that she had gained much of the girls' trust already, but still tried her best to keep up the act.

"I think that we should stay for two or three days. I like it here," Syranna said.

"Fine, we will," Kalie replied, not sounding as if she were entirely happy with the decision. She stood up. "I'm going to get us a drink. What do you want, Ami?"

"Water, please," said Amidala. She looked at Syranna. "Does the ship have a name?"

"We haven't thought of one yet," she answered. If she was paying any attention to her best friend's mood, then she did not seem to care.

"Oh."

Kalie returned a moment later with three glasses; two of which had some kind of light green juice inside. She handed Amidala the glass of water, then sat next to her on the edge of the bed. For the first time, Amidala realized that she looked a lot like Ollana, except both of Ollana's lekku were covered with tattoos of plants and butterflies.

"So, let's talk," she said. "When is you and Luke's wedding, Ami?"

"We don't have a date planned yet."

"You don't sound very excited," Syranna said, sitting down on the other bed. "Is something wrong?"

"I miss him," Amidala said.

She was not lying, either. It was a strange new feeling. She had gone on small missions and errands before, without Darth Vader, and sometimes wished he were there to tell her what to do. But she had never needed him just because she wanted to be with him.

If he sensed this in her - actually, it was more like when - he was going to be angry. She was not supposed to be attached to him. One of the things Vader had taught Amidala was that when she began to look for her own apprentice, she would not easily find one that could succeed. She would have to be ready to lose or get rid of a potential student if he or she failed.

_So he is not attached to me, of course, even if he has been training me for the past three years_, Amidala thought. _He does not need me at all_.

"...guests?" Kalie asked.

"I'm sorry? I didn't listen," Amidala said.

"Are you going to have a lot of guests?"

"I want a small wedding."

"Me too. I can't wait to plan my wedding," Syranna said. "You're so lucky that you've found your soulmate, Ami."

-::-

The next day almost dragged by for Darth Amidala, although she acted as if she were having fun. She, Kalie, and Syranna went shopping - it was the first time in a while that she had shopped for three or four hours.

She had thought that this assignment might possibly be fun, but Darth Vader kept coming to her mind. He haunted her more than usual. This was ridiculous, she knew, but she kept thinking about him throughout the day.

"What's wrong?" Kalie asked her, for the second time that day, as they were leaving a café.

"Let me guess," Syranna said, before Amidala could answer, "you miss Luke."

She smiled. "Yes. I am sorry for being so distant."

"It's alright."

-::-

Amidala's mood changed later that night, while the three of them were sitting together inside a club.

As she was telling the waitress what drink she wanted, she suddenly sensed her master's presence. He had probably just arrived on Imperial City. Judging from her feeling, Amidala guessed that he was not more than a few miles away.

"Luke's here now," she said.

Syranna looked at her. "He is? How do you know?"

"I mean, I'm supposed to meet him somewhere."

"Now? It's late."

"I know," Amidala replied, "and I'm going to be late. Thank you for letting me stay with you last night."

"Wait," Kalie said. "Do you and Luke want to meet us tomorrow, at the Paradise Gardens?"

"What time?"

"Around noon."

"We might come." Amidala smiled. "Thank you again."

-::-

As soon as she left the club, she foolishly realized that she did not know where Darth Vader was, or if he would even be waiting for her. And why was she so eager to return to her master? He was going to be angry with her when he sensed her feelings. The possibility of trying to conceal her emotions did not even occur to her. It was useless.

Darth Amidala sighed, and hid her presence. She might as well stay here for now, and follow the girls. Vader would probably come find her, anyway.

After almost half an hour, she went back into the club. A few black benches, with bright green padding, were just inside the entrance. She sat down.

On the other side of the room, Syranna and Kalie were still sitting at their table, talking. For a moment, it seemed as if the two were arguing about something. Amidala briefly considered going over there to listen in, but shrieked when she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder.

She felt ridiculous when she looked up to see Vader. Who else could see her while her presence was hidden, unless the Emperor had decided to come here?

"Master," Amidala said softly. She felt a slight blush in her cheeks. Hopefully, in the club's dim lighting, he did not notice it.

"Th-They are over there," sheadded as he sat next to her.

Since Vader could see his apprentice all the time, he did not realize at first that she had made herself invisible. Syranna momentarily looked in their direction, almost right at them. He reached over to kiss Amidala, in order to keep up the disguise.

At first, she just let him lightly touch her lips, but then she returned the kiss with more intensely, with more...emotion. Vader sensed it. She was not simply pretending to be his girlfriend. She felt happy, and relieved, because he was here. That was not something he had expected.

Amidala pulled away then, nervous. She did not sense any anger coming from her master, but that did not mean he wouldn't punish her later. She glanced down at the burn on her arm.

"Are they planning to leave?" Vader asked.

It took his apprentice a moment to realize that he was talking about Kalie and Syranna.

"They will be here for another day or two, Master. Syranna wants to stay longer than that," she answered.

She filled him in on everything she had told the two girls, including the invitation to meet them at the Paradise Gardens tomorrow. He did not seem angry that she had talked to them. Perhaps he even thought it was a good move, although he did not praise or complement her.

"Why did you say that we are engaged?" he asked.

"I-I thought that something romantic would make me seem more harmless to them, Master," Amidala said nervously, but honestly.

His hand had been resting on her leg, near the bottom of the short red dress, the entire time she had been explaining the rest of their disguise to him. She looked over at Kalie and Syranna's table, noticing that the two girls were no longer there. The club had another exit in the back; they could have left already.

Amidala glanced at her master, though she was not necessarily wishing for him to let go of her.

Finally, he stood, and reached out one hand to help her up. She said nothing as they went to where his speeder was parked. For now, she forgot about their prey.

-::-

"I don't know," Kalie said as they started to walk to the ship. "If she was thinking about Luke so much all day, she should have remembered that she had to meet him. It seemed as if she almost forgot. I think she was lying."

"She's nice," Syranna replied. "Are you just jealous or something?"

"That had better be a joke."

"It wasn't, really."

"And what's with you?" Kalie stopped walking. "Ever since we arrived on Coruscant, you've been acting like this is your home planet. You haven't ever been here before now."

"Imperial City, Kalie," Syranna corrected, as if she were speaking to a five-year-old.

"Whatever."

"I'm sorry if I'm trying to relax and have fun. You were the one who was yelling at me about being paranoid, remember?"

"When you were paranoid, you weren't acting like a know-it-all."

Syranna almost glared at her. "Fine. Why don't you take the ship and leave?"

"_What_? Why?" Kalie asked.

"You're obviously not enjoying it here. But I am, and I don't feel like leaving. Go home."

"Our parents think we're on a field trip. What am I supposed to tell them?"

"You'll think of something," Syranna answered.

She turned and started walking away then. Kalie was too angry to follow her at first, and by the time she changed her mind, her friend was already out of sight.

_If she _is_ my friend_, she thought.

Still, Syranna would have to return to the ship later. She could not have much money left with her, and she had nowhere to stay tonight. Whether or not she wanted to admit it, she knew nothing about Imperial City and was going to be lost here. Besides, she would definately be in as much trouble as Kalie if they didn't return to Yavin Five together, or if they arrived a few days late.

And there was Ami and Luke. For some reason, the two of them were bothering Kalie more than the possiblity of getting into trouble with her parents.

She sighed, then began walking again. If Syranna did not come back to the ship tonight, then she could just take care of herself. She probably thought that she knew the location and nightly fees of every hotel on the planet, anyway.

-::-

Darth Vader and his apprentice had run into the girls again, so they had stopped to listen to their argument. When Syranna left, the two of them did not bother going after either her or Kalie.

"Should we follow one of them, Master?" Darth Amidala asked as she got inside their speeder.

"Kalie is not important," Vader answered. "It does not matter if she leaves Imperial City. Syranna is the one that interests me."

Something went through Amidala's veins then, after hearing that last sentence. It was jealousy.

_She doesn't interest him in _that_ kind of way_, she assured herself. But the girl had a strong presence in the Force; she probably had as much potential as Amidala did when she first became a Sith apprentice. What if Vader was unsatisfied with her and wanted to train Syranna instead?

And aside from that, Syranna was pretty. Amidala did not think that she herself was more gorgeous by comparison.

She realized that the speeder was not moving yet. They were still sitting here.

"Why do you consider her to be a threat?" Vader asked, sensing her worry.

He did have a way of knowing almost everything about his apprentice. The question was actually _Why does she threaten you?_, and Amidala knew it.

"I-I am worried that you might want to replace me with her, Master," she answered, expecting him to hit her.

"In what kind of relationship?"

"W-We only have one relationship, Master."

"You do not sound certain," Vader replied as he started the speeder.

Amidala was quiet, not sure how to respond to that. She did not say anything else as they rode to their ship.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

Kalie returned the ship without much of a change in her mood.

But she stayed awake for almost an hour, just in case, and then went to bed. She pushed away whatever guilt she felt. If Syranna wanted to stay here, on Coruscant, that was her choice. How could Kalie be expected to find her, anyway? She might as well go home tomorrow, or visit another system. She did want to see more of Naboo.

_Syranna said I could go_, she thought, _though she probably didn't think that I'd have the guts to actually leave her here_.

But something in her friend's voice had been so certain, and confident. She had not been snapping out of anger. In fact, it seemed as if she wanted Kalie to go away and stop bothering her.

Irritated, Kalie closed her eyes for a moment. _Alright, Syranna_.

-::-

Darth Amidala was still quiet as she and her master left Imperial City.

She was relieved to be in their ship again, though, or perhaps she was mostly relieved to be with Darth Vader. He knew it. She kept expecting him to bring up the topic, maybe hit her without even saying anything. But he did not. He was probably waiting until later.

They returned to Yavin Two. The sun was just starting to rise as they entered their house, but Amidala wanted to sleep - after a nice, warm bath.

-::-

After drying her hair, she sat on the edge of her bed for a moment, with only a dark red towel around her. She briefly closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind. It was easy to tell someone to do that, but quieting your thoughts was difficult. Sith understood that more than Jedi.

Amidala looked up as Vader walked into the room. The door was almost wide open, although she thought she had closed it.

"Master," she said, standing up. She tightly held her arms around herself, not wanting the towel to fall. Vader himself was not wearing a shirt, which did not make her feel any less awkward.

"You wanted to see me," he told her. She had not said anything since they came home, but he still did not word it as a question.

He was mostly correct, though his apprentice was not sure at the moment. She guessed that he was going to punish her now. Most of the time, he did so immediately, but perhaps he wanted her to worry for an hour or so.

"I really should get dressed."

"Does that prevent your mouth from working?" Vader touched Amidala's chin, making her look up at him. He waited a moment before letting go.

"No, Master," she replied. She was quiet for a second. "I am confused."

"I believe you are quite certain about your feelings."

"May I ask which feelings you are talking about?"

"You are not stupid," he said. It was the closest thing to a complement since...since Amidala could remember.

He slapped her - not very hard, he thought, but she quickly raised one hand to her cheek. The towel around her started to slip. She barely caught it before it fell too far.

"I apologize, Master...for taking our disguise too seriously."

"You do not regret it," Vader said, touching her chin again. She was trying to avoid his eyes.

"I hate disappointing you," she replied.

The words were very honest. Vader realized that he was probably the only person in Amidala's life that was important to her. She had been seriously worried about him wanting to keep an eye on Syranna Tessan, because she was afraid that he would no longer have any use for her - as an apprentice, or as anything else.

He doubted that she'd always had romantic feelings for him. She could not have concealed them for three years, especially when she was a new Sith apprentice. But it was possible that she herself had just recently realized them.

He kissed Amidala, not because he shared any of those feelings - he did not care about anyone in that sense - but she was beautiful. There was nothing wrong with admitting that. Thinking that she was physical attractive did not require love, or any other weak emotions.

Amidala stood up on her toes to return it, even with him reaching down a little, since he was at least a foot taller than her. She seemed to understand that the kiss did not mean as much to Vader as it did to her. He sensed her sadness.

When their lips parted, he slid his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, so that she was pressed against him. The feeling of her soft cheek against his chest was not unpleasant.

He thought Amidala would be almost thrilled to be in his arms, but she did not even pretend to enjoy the moment. Her eyes started to become wet.

"C-Could I please sleep, Master?" she asked.

"No." Vader touched her upper back with his real hand, just above the edge of the towel. "You are not tired."

She was quiet again, trying to keep herself from crying. Then she lightly touched his chest. Her fingers happened to rest on a small, faint scar. One of the last Jedi he fought had tried to stab him there, with a dagger, after Vader knocked her lightsaber out of her hands. The blade only grazed him.

"No, I am not, Master," Amidala agreed.

She stood on her toes again, and he leaned down a little to return the kiss.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

Syranna Tessan had exactly one hundred credits with her. Although she was a little nervous about being out alone, at night, she was certainly not going back to her and Kalie's ship. She wanted to stay here. If Kalie got in trouble, she could deal with it. Syranna did not really care if her parents came to Imperial City to look for her.

She found a hotel that was cheap and looked clean enough. It was ten credits a night; she could stay here for at least a few nights while she figured out what to do. She admitted that going off on her own had been foolish, but perhaps it was her pride that kept her from worrying.

_It's not pride_, she thought as she paid the clerk at the hotel's front desk. _I can't help it if I feel like I belong here_.

She went upstairs to her room, realizing she would need money for food and new clothes, and to get a place to live. But she could think about that tomorrow.

After taking a shower, she went to bed and fell asleep almost as soon as she closed her eyes.

-::-

Darth Amidala slept late the next morning. When she woke up, she was alone, but heard the shower running inside her bathroom. She smiled faintly. For a moment, she thought about going to join her master, then decided to go to the kitchen. She could make hot tea or something.

She got up and went to her closet, quickly getting dressed in a short, dark grey dress and black boots. As she brushed her hair, she realized that now, she could worry about what her master thought about how she looked. But that did not bother her.

-::-

Syranna went to a nearby café after she got dressed. As she sat alone, drinking her hot chocolate, she remembered that she and Kalie had invited Ami and Luke to meet them at the Paradise Gardens, at noon. She thought about going, in case they might show up, but perhaps Kalie had the same idea. She changed her mind.

"Syranna!" a female voice exclaimed.

Syranna looked up, and smiled when she saw who was approaching her table. It was Lora, a human girl who had been in two of her classes this year. She was not a close friend of Syranna's, but she had helped her with math a couple of times.

"Mind if I sit down?" she asked.

"No, go ahead."

"What brings you here?" Lora said. She had blue eyes, and blonde hair that was a little past her shoulders.

Syranna thought for a moment. "Kalie and I planned a vacation for two weeks - we had a brand new ship and everything. We told our parents that we were on a field trip."

"Wow? You got away with it?"

"So far." Syranna looked down at the table, pretending to be angry. "But last night, Kalie decided to leave while I was shopping."

Lora almost gasped. "She just _left_? She abandoned you here?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Syranna shrugged. "She's mad about some dumb little thing, I guess. But now I have less than a hundred credits, and nowhere to stay. I already called my parents and told them that I'm going to stay here for a while."

"Why don't you come with me?" Lora offered. "My older sisters and I just moved here last week."

"You don't mind?" Syranna was surprised at how easy this was. She hardly felt bad about lying, either. Kalie was the one who had decided not to enjoy their visit here. So what if she had changed the story a bit?

"No, not at all. You can stay with us as long as you need to."

"Thank you."

-::-

Darth Vader and his apprentice went to one of the Star Destroyers. They had not spoken much at the house, or on the way here, although Darth Amidala had briefly kissed him as their ship left the Yavin system. She was nervous again, only for different reasons. She was probably waiting for her master to say something about their new relationship - if he was going to consider it a relationship.

Out of all the women that Vader had been with, Amidala was the only one that had fallen asleep in his arms, and held onto him during the night. He had watched her until he fell asleep as well. She seemed to be afraid that he would leave her.

Vader had never had a relationship. He did not need companionship, care, and support from a girlfriend - or a wife. But if he _did_ have somebody at his side, she should be someone like Amidala. How could any normal, average girl suit a Sith Lord?

-::-

Darth Amidala liked going to Star Destroyers, especially the bigger ones, such as the _Executor_. When she was a new apprentice, she had found it fascinating, since no one she knew had set foot on an Imperial ship. Then again, none of her friends had been captured by Darth Vader and forced to be his apprentice.

At first, she had thought his armor was creepy, but soon she began to look at him the same way as when he was not wearing it.

Today, Amidala did not wear any colored eye contacts, or any cloth covering the bottom half of her face. She went to her master's chambers and stayed there most of the time. Some of the other men on the ship were probably curious, but she did not care.

-::-

After only one day of staying with Lora and her older sister, Kelli, Syranna had almost forgotten who Kalie Yaleez was. The three of them went everywhere together. It turned out that Kelli worked at the same pet store where Syranna and Kalie had purchased the snake.

"I was wondering something," Syranna said that evening, while the three of them were eating dinner.

_"We've been to three pet stores today, not including this one."_

_"Why?"_

_"My cousin wants some kind of frog for his birthday."_

"What?" Kelli asked.

"You said you've had to work every day during the past week?"

"Yes."

"Did a couple come in there the other day...a brown-haired human girl, and a tall, muscular, blonde man? They were looking fora frog."

Kelli thought. "No one comes to mind. Maybe one of the other girls at the store helped them. I've only been working in the mornings."

"Are you looking for them?" Lora asked Syranna.

"No," she said. "Just curious."


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**

Darth Amidala was not surprised when Darth Vader did not treat her much differently at the base. On their way back to Yavin Two, though, they did not discuss the change in their relationship. Amidala did not have enough courage to bring up the subject.

She went to bed early that night, since she was feeling tired. She thought of going to her master's room, to tell him good-night, but decided to wait and see if he came over to her room. After almost an hour, she thought about the entire day, trying to remember what she could have done to possibly make him angry with her. He had not punished her, but once again, he could be waiting to surprise her with that later.

She stared at the flecks of moonlight, shining through the trees to the window, that were on the opposite wall.

It was possible that this was just another test. If so, Amidala was not quite sure what her master wanted her to do. She sighed, realizing that that idea was not entirely ridiculous. Sith did not have caring relationships, nor did they care about love. Vader probably wanted Amidala to mention that, and be hesitant about having a romantic relationship with him.

But he was her master. He should expect that she would follow any commands from him, without questions - especially if when she did not even know it was a test.

_If this _was_ a test, then I failed_, she thought.

Her eyes became wet. She let herself cry quietly, not expecting Vader to enter the room anytime soon.

She was angry at herself, too, as she wept. She was going to be a Sith Lady, and she was lying here, with pathetic tears sliding down her cheeks. Whenever she did fail - which was supposed to be rare for Sith - she was not supposed to whine about it.

She did not chastise herself for long, though. Within a few minutes, she fell asleep.

-::-

The next morning, Darth Vader went somewhere, without his apprentice. She dared to give him a sad-eyed look, but if he noticed it, then he did not care.

For Darth Amidala, the rest of the morning and afternoon seemed to drag by. She took a long, warm bath, but it did not help to relax her. Mostly, she wanted to sleep, but it would not be good for her to rest all day instead of practicing some of her skills.

She tried meditating, and for once, was able to calm herself. Afterwards, she cleaned her lightsaber, and checked to make sure nothing was wrong with it. She looked over it every day, even if she had not used it at all. Vader had advised her to do that, a few days after she finished making the weapon.

Less than a minute after he told her that, he attacked her with his own saber. She had stumbled back, surprised, but then quickly ignited her saber.

For some reason, the memory made Amidala smile.

-::-

Her master returned that evening, soon after the sun started to set. Darth Amidala almost gasped when she saw that one of his hands had blood on it, but managed not to make a sound.

The thin, dark grey sleeveless shirt Vader was wearing, underneath his cloak, had three bloody rips. Looking at them, Amidala guessed that her master had been attacked not far from here. Otherwise, he would not have waited to deal with the wounds.

"Master, please let me help you," she said, taking his cloak. Her tone was not extra-sweet or pitiful. This was the first time that she had seen her master hurt almost badly, and she felt sorry for whoever had bothered him.

"Very well," he replied.

He did not mention that he had intentionally waited, so that she could treat the wounds. When he was spying on her, before capturing her and making her apprentice, he had learned that she knew a lot about camping and the outdoors, including natural medicines. That was one reason why he had chosen her.

Studying the wounds again, seeing how the three marks were close together, Amidala guessed that they were claw marks from an animal. A rancor, perhaps. The rancors that lived in Yavin Two's forests were smaller than other species, but dangerous enough. They were rare in this area, though. Amidala had only seen them twice since she had been living here.

She and her master went into the living room and sat down on the black couch. He removed his shirt, noticing that she was too concerned with helping him to think about how close she was to his bare chest. She was focused when she had a task to do, although that was another complement that he probably would not tell her aloud.

She folded the shirt and pressed it against the claw marks. He held it as she quickly went out to the backyard. There were a few large, purplish-brown plants growing there. After Vader had burned Amidala's arm with his lightsaber, she took a leaf from one of the plants and tore it, then wrapped it around the burn.

Within moments, she was back, with some of those leaves in her hand.

"I apologize if these sting a little, Master," she said softly, tearing one. A bright yellow juice seeped out.

She pressed it against wounds, making sure the juice got over all three marks. It did sting, but only for a moment.

"Well done," Vader told her.

She looked at him for a second, as if she suddenly had no idea what to say. Her face was only a few inches away. He kissed her cheek.

"Thank you, Master," she whispered. She glanced at his chest. "I don't think that the wounds are very deep. They should be fine."

Vader kissed her face again, this time closer to her mouth. She gently touched one of the claw marks.

"The juice from the leaves should wash off easily," she added.

"Why don't you attack me now?"

"I beg your pardon, Master?"

"I am injured. Take advantage of my weakness," Vader replied. "You must have some desire to hurt me, after the many times I have hurt you."

He knew that Amidala did not believe him - he was not anywhere near helpless, and even if he were that badly wounded, she would think it was strange that he was pointing out the opportunity. But he wanted to see her reaction to the suggestion.

"No, Master," she said honestly. "Of course I don't."

"Why not, my young apprentice?" Vader asked. It always felt a little strange to call her that, since she was only ten years younger than him.

"You are my master. I would never try to kill you."

"And what else do you feel?"

Amidala knew he was hinting at her romantic feelings for him, but she simply answered, "I-I don't know to explain it, Master."

He kissed her lips without replying. She returned it this time, not sensing any strong anger in him.

"Is this is a test, Master?" she asked, surprised that she had the courage to.

He was quiet for a moment, as if she had disturbed him while he was deep in thought.

"No," he answered. "Go away."

"Yes, Master." Amidala obediently got up, and went upstairs to her room.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen**

When Darth Vader went to his apprentice's room, she was already asleep. She did not stir as he got into bed next to her. Her eyes remained closed, and she was breathing too calmly and softly to be faking her sleep. He did not disturb her.

Underneath the blankets, he briefly touched one of the cuts. They would hopefully be healed within a week or so. He and Darth Amidala would need to capture Syranna Tessan soon, whenever the Emperor wanted. He seemed to have some sort of interest in Syranna.

If he wanted her trained, though, Vader would have to rise against him then. He would certainly not kill Amidala just to make room for a new apprentice. Amidala was doing so well and had such commitment and loyalty to her master, long before their other relationship had started. The idea of having to start over with Syranna was not appealing.

_Other relationship_. Vader glanced at Amidala again, seeing that she was still asleep. He did not want to call this a relationship yet, although Palpatine already seemed to suspect that something was going on between them.

_Yet_? No, Amidala was the one who thought that she was in love with him, and that this was some romantic beginning. She was being foolish.

Or maybe not. So far, her feelings for him had not distracted her at all - Vader thought of how attentive she had been earlier, while treating his wounds. He was partly interested in seeing how her love for him would affect her training, negatively or not. If he was going to punish her for this, he might as well have a few examples to point out.

-

Darth Amidala was alone when she awoke the next morning, having no idea that her master had been there. Her comlink, lying on her nightstand, was beeping. Confused, she quickly reached for it and turned it on.

"Master?" she asked, wondering where he was. A yawn began to rise in her throat, but she forced it down, not wanting to give away the fact that she had just now woken up.

"Lady Amidala," Vader said.

"Where are you, Master?"

"I am here."

"But you are calling my comlink."

"That is a brilliant note, my young apprentice," Vader replied. "I am 'here' as in Yavin Two, somewhere on the planet. You have thirty-six hours to find me."

"Yes, Master," Amidala said.

Adrenaline was starting to enter her veins already. She had done this before. Last time, she had looked for one of her master's lightsabers while they were on Yavin Six. She had only had to search within a small patch of trees, though, so it hadn't been as difficult. This assignment would be much more fun than following Kalie Yaleez and Syranna Tessan around.

Vader turned off his comlink without saying anything else, which made her more excited. All she knew was that he was on this planet; no other details or clues. It was nice to have a challenge - and her reward would be finding the man she loved.

That last thought made her stop. She glanced at her bedroom door, wondering if perhaps her master was on the other side of it, waiting to attack her. That was not unlikely. She was supposed to be ready to duel at any moment.

She went to her closet, entering it carefully. Nobody was in there. She got dressed in black pants and a long-sleeved black top, then brushed her hair.

Slowly, she opened the bedroom door, seeing that her master was not in the hall. For a moment, she stood still, listening for any sounds coming from the rest of the house.

She went downstairs, locked the front door after leaving, and went over to the remaining speeder - her master had taken the other one. He did not appear, so she decided that he really was not anywhere around the house.

-

As she rode, Darth Amidala began thinking of places where her master might be. Already, her thrill had faded, and this assignment was starting to seem difficult. Where on the whole planet could Darth Vader be? Hopefully he had chosen a place that they had been to before. Having no idea where he was suddenly made Amidala feel very helpless.

She sighed. That must be why he had given her this task - he knew she did not want to be away from him.

She started heading towards a large lake that was about five miles away. Vader had taken her there twice - they had gone last month, in fact. He had left her alone when it almost dark outside. After almost half-an-hour of standing in the same spot, cold and afraid, she made a campfire and stayed awake for the whole night.

Amidala smiled, remembering how relieved she had been when her master returned, just before sunrise. She could not wait to find him now.

-

Darth Vader half-expected his apprentice to call his comlink soon, asking for some kind of a hint or clue, but she did not. He glanced at the lake. His speeder was parked away from the edge of the water, just within the trees. There were not any tourists around. A Falleen family owned this property, so it was private. They usually only visited Yavin Two during part of the summer, though, so they never noticed any trespassers.

Amidala arrived within less than an hour, which surprised Vader. He did not let it show, though.

He sensed her nervousness as she got out of the speeder. She did not come any closer to him, probably thinking that he was going to begin a practice fight at any moment.

"I did not expect you so soon," he admitted.

"I felt your presence strongly, Master," Amidala said, "so I thought you were nearby."

"Good. Why did you think of this place first?" asked Vader.

"I am not sure, Master. We have been here before. I thought I would look."

"Come here."

Amidala obeyed. He slid his arms around her, pulling her close to him. She still seemed hesitant, probably expecting his hand to grasp her throat at any moment. Instead, he leaned down a little to kiss her. She deserved some reward for successfully completing her assignment. Considering that she hardly ever received any reward, or even a complement, the kiss seemed to mean a lot to her.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen**

They went back to the house for the rest of the day. Darth Amidala stayed in her bedroom. By evening, she doubted that they were going anywhere else, so she took a shower. As she dried her hair, she briefly wondered how Kalie and Syranna were doing. If they had gone home, they had to be in a lot of trouble.

Several times, Padmé, Sabé, and Ollana had snuck out of their houses, during the middle of the night, to go see holomovies. They were never caught.

When Amidala came out of her walk-in closet Darth Vader was waiting for her. She hesitated, then went and sat on the edge of the bed, next to him.

Vader guessed that something was on his apprentice's mind. She did not seem awkward or nervous by him not having a shirt on, and her only wearing a low-cut red nightgown. He rested his hand on her lap. She glanced at it, but then stared at the floor.

"Did I disappoint you, Master?" she asked quietly.

"When?" he replied, removing his hand from her leg.

"I thought you might be interested in Syranna because I have failed you."

Vader was about to tell her - maybe even assure her - that he had no interest in training the girl. But instead, he decided to play with her first, just to see her reaction. He was starting to think that her extra, non-professional attachment to him was not completely bad. It only strengthened her loyalty.

"My plans with Syranna are none of your concern, Lady Amidala," he said.

_Plans _with_ her?_ she thought. "I a-apologize, Master."

"And in the future, you will not disturb me or her. Do you understand?"

Amidala nodded this time, as if she could not choke out a simple "Yes, Master". Vader saw that her eyes were wet. He touched her chin, making her look up at him, then slapped her.

She fell back onto the bed. As she started to sit up again, Vader hit her on the same side of her face. Her cheek was already red. She lay down this time, not bothering or caring to get up. Tears were quietly coming from her eyes. Not wanting her master to see, she looked away, glancing at the window.

She waited for a moment, expecting him to beat her more. He lay down next to her, which did not soothe her crying.

"I have no interest in Syranna," he said. His lips briefly brushed against Amidala's.

She sensed that he wasn't lying. "Yes, Master."

"If the Emperor orders me to train her instead, you and I will defeat him then."

_You and I_. Amidala almost smiled. "Do you think he will, Master?"

"Perhaps," Vader answered. He lightly kissed her. "We do not need to follow Syranna or Kalie for now."

His apprentice nodded. He kissed her again, more deeply. Her tears had stopped now. She was as happy and relieved as she had been when she found him at the lake earlier.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Chapter Fifteen**

It started raining during the night. An animal howled somewhere within the forest, which awoke Darth Vader.

He glanced at his apprentice. Her eyes were still closed. She was in his arms, clinging to him. He gently touched her face, finding that it was covered in a thin, cool sweat. She seemed to be having a bad dream. He left her alone, deciding to not to disturb whoever was frightening her in the nightmare.

"No...Master..." she muttered, almost in a whisper. "Don't, please, I love you..."

She was pathetic. If he told her that he wanted her on a leash, she would probably go to the nearest pet store, right now, and buy a collar.

But he enjoyed the fact that her scary dream was about him, so he still made no move to wake her. To keep her from shivering, though, he reached for the edge of the blanket and pulled more of it over her bare shoulders. She whimpered softly, but her eyes remained closed.

-

Darth Amidala woke up a few minutes later. She had unconciously rolled out of her master's arms, and was now only an inch or two from the edge of the bed. When she saw the large puddle of blood below her, she realized it had not been a dream. He really had stabbed her. She had really angered him, and she was bleeding...

She squinted. It wasn't a puddle, just her red nightgown lying on the floor. A foolish, relieved smile came across her face.

She turned and looked at Vader. He appeared to be asleep, but she hesitated before inching closer to him. She thought of trying to snuggle into his arms again, but did not want to disturb him.

For a moment, she lay there, watching him and listening to the rain falling outside.

"I love you," she whispered. She gently kissed his shoulder.

Vader waited until he heard Amidala shift. Then he did the same. She froze, now guessing that he was awake. He slid his arm under hers, resting it against her body.

"How do you know?" he whispered back in her ear.

"I feel it," she replied. She paused. "You do, too, Master. You know my emotions."

"You think that you love me," Vader said. "You are a Sith, Amidala, but you are still a young girl."

He felt a small bit of frustration in her after the second sentence. She wanted him to see her as a woman, just as Anakin had wanted to be seen and respected as a grown man. Vader hated to admit it, but he understood his apprentice rather than enjoying her anger.

"Usually, you are smarter. Do not believe these feelings are...something that they are not," he added, wanting to crush the sympathy he had started to feel for her. "I use you for physical reasons. That is all. Do you understand?"

Amidala did not bother responding with a fake "Yes, Master". She was quiet. Soon, both of them were asleep again.

-

The words from her master did not affect her at all. Darth Vader still felt the warm happiness that rose in her whenever he entered her sight. During the next week, she said almost nothing about her caring, but he still felt it.

More than once, while they were laying in bed, she whispered "I love you", when she thought that he was asleep. He heard it, but said nothing.

-

One night, Darth Vader thought that he heard his apprentice crying, but wasn't sure. He closed his eyes and let himself drift into sleep. Amidala could pout and weep about her fantasy relationship if she wanted. He would punish her tomorrow. Perhaps another lightsaber burn would do.

In his dream, he was in a forest, near the edge of the trees. It was sunnier out in the meadow, without the branches and leaves blocking out some of the light. Vader stood in the cool shade, waiting patiently. He was annoyed with his apprentice in this dream, as well. She was supposed to be here.

"Master," a voice said nervously.

Vader turned and saw Cari. She had been his other choice for a potential apprentice, before he chose Padmé. Her green eyes looked much like Darth Amidala's did whenever she was afraid that she'd angered him. In fact, she was wearing one of Amidala's black cloaks.

"I apologize, Master," she added softly. Amidala's voice was coming from her lips. Like her, she wouldn't bother giving him an excuse, unless he asked why she was late.

"Come here," he told her.

She obeyed. He slid his arms around her waist, and reached down to kiss her. He brushed a strand of her shoulder-length blonde hair out of her eyes, then touched her lips with his. When he let go of her, she was almost breathless.

"I took care of her," she said, pointing at the ground. Now she sounded different. She was speaking in her own voice.

Vader looked down, now seeing who was lying at their feet. Darth Amidala had an ugly wound in her abdomen, from a lightsaber. Her eyes were half-open. Around her neck was a black cord, with a charm made from a japor snippet. It looked familiar. Anakin had given it to his mother for her birthday.

"M-Master?" Cari asked.

Vader struck her, making her fall to the ground. She landed on Amidala, shrieked, then quickly moved away.

"Why did you kill her?" her master demanded.

She looked up at him, confused. "Y-You told me to find her and kill her, Master."

"No..." Amidala muttered. "He's _my_ master...my..."

Vader glanced at her, feeling a strong desire to save her, but he knew that he couldn't. But why did he want to? Sith masters never became completely attached to their apprentices. Apprentices were disposable. If Amidala had not survived her fight with Cari, then Cari was the better. Of course, Sith did not have two apprentices at the same time, either.

Cari slowly got up, and hesitated before turning to Vader's side. When she was closer, he grabbed her by the throat.

"Master!" she whined, afraid. "You told me to-"

"I would never tell you to kill her," he said.

"My master..." Amidala murmured again. "My...our...our baby..."

Vader threw Cari to the ground, ignoring her shriek. He knelt next to Amidala.

"What did you say?" he asked. He paused, then spoke more gently. "Tell me, Amidala."

"You're my...mine...I failed you..." she replied. She lifted his arm, wanting to touch his cheek, but weakly dropped it. Her fingers only brushed a strand of his blonde hair.

"Get up," he said. "You are being ridiculous."

"Failed...I...love you..."

Vader looked at her. Like Shmi, she was barely able to complete the "you". He slapped her. She probably wasn't as injured as she thought she was. When she didn't move, he hit her again. Blood started to trickle from one of her nostrils. He reached down to kiss her - that would probably make her get up - but then someone grabbed him.

-

"Master?" a soft voice asked. At first, Vader thought it was Cari again, and he wanted to kill her for what she had done to...

Amidala looked at him. "I apologize, Master. I thought you weren't well."

Vader realized what she had wanted to say - she thought he was having a bad dream. He was sweating, which made him think of the nightmare that his apprentice had had the other night. He hadn't woken her up, though.

"I appreciate you disturbing me," he said bitterly.

"I apologize, Master," Amidala said again.

"Leave me alone."

"Yes, Master." Amidala looked as if she were about to cry.

She snuggled under the blankets again, and shifted so that she was not facing him. He reached for her and pulled her closer, allowing her to settle into his arms. He might as well let her, so that he would not have to listen to her whimpering.

"I love you," she whispered, resting her head on his chest.

"Good night, Amidala," he replied.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen**

The next morning, Vader left the bed - carefully enough that he did not wake Amidala - and went outside to the backyard. He closed his eyes and meditated first, to clear his mind, then tried interpreting his dream. He did not think that all of it was very important, but he felt as if there were something in it.

He thought for a moment. In the dream, he had been breaking two rules of the Sith Order - having two apprentices, Cari and Amidala, and being too attached to Amidala, as if he needed her. But in real life, he was only breaking one rule - instead of overthrowing him one day, Amidala would rule the galaxy with him, once they dealt with the Emperor.

He made a small connection - Cari had green eyes, like Syranna Tessan. Perhaps that was who she had represented. Amidala had been dying, which had made Vader angry. It reminded him of what he had been thinking about a few nights ago - what if Palpatine ordered him to get rid of Amidala, and train Syranna instead?

Vader decided to take care of him soon. Palpatine was powerful, but Vader only obeyed him because he chose to. And against two other Sith, his master would not last long. Amidala could probably strike him down by herself, though Vader would not risk it.

There was one other thing - in the dream, Amidala had been wearing that necklace, and she had mentioned a baby...

"Master?" she asked, breaking into his thoughts. She came through the back door, which he had left open.

"Yes?"

"I apologize for bothering you," she said. "I was just wondering if you were here. I thought you might have left."

"And you can clearly see that I am here," he replied, although she was not really annoying him. "Go away."

"Yes, Master." She turned and went back inside.

-

Vader took over the Empire two days later, while he and his apprentice were meeting with Emperor Palpatine. He struck his master down, while Amidala just watched, not sure what to do. He had not told her about his plan. If he had, she probably would have been nervous, and the Emperor would sense it in her.

Later, when Darth Amidala had not even been the second-in-command of the Empire for a whole day, her master told her that she was going to marry him. She said "Yes, Master", although he had worded it more as a command than a question.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Chapter Seventeen**

No one knew that Darth Amidala was going to be the empress. Her master thought it would be best if nobody was aware that his most trusted agent and spy was also his wife. She silently agreed with him, though she had the urge to ask how soon their wedding would be. He did not say, so she remained quiet.

During the first week of her master's rule, Amidala excelled at every single task and assignment he gave her. Although he had wanted to tell her how these feelings for him were only getting in her way, he could not find a single opportunity to point it out.

One afternoon, while she was on Imperial City, Amidala looked around for information on Syranna Tessan.

She found one record for a Syranna Tessan, but it was an old woman from Alderaan. The interesting fact was that another one of her records, which was more recent, showed that Syranna Dooku had lived on Imperial City before.

_Darth Tyranus might be her grandfather. She could have been named after her grandmother_, Amidala thought. She decided tell Darth Vader about it when she returned to the _Executor_.

* * *

As she entered the port where she had landed the ship, a female voice called, "Padmé!"

She ignored them at first - she could not be the only girl in the entire galaxy named Padmé; the girl had to be looking for someone else.

_Padmé is not my name_, she thought.

Soon, the quick-moving footsteps came closer to her. Then someone lightly punched her shoulder. The only person she knew who did that was Sabé.

She finally stopped and turned to look at her. "Can I help you?"

"Where have you been?" Sabé demanded. She was wearing a knee-length white skirt that she had borrowed from Ollana once and never returned.

"I don't believe that I know you," Amidala said calmly, with difficulty. Part of her wanted to hug her friend.

"You're crazy. What happened? I heard that you ran away, but that can't be true."

"You are mistaken. Leave me alone."

"What's wrong with you?"

Amidala hid her presence, and turned away without replying. Once she was inside the ship, she started to cry.

* * *

Her melancholy mood disappeared when she entered her master's chambers on the Executor. He was most important to her. Despite her tears, she realized she had felt no eagerness to talk to Sabé. No memories of her or Ollana had come to mind. Being cold toward her had been easy.

Still, she decided not to mention the brief encounter to Vader. She should not have paid any attention to Sabé.

* * *

The sun was beginning to set when Vader and Amidala returned to Yavin Two. Amidala sat in the middle of her bedroom floor, in meditation position, and closed her eyes. She was relaxed. Sabé did not come back to her mind.

Her calmness was interrupted when Vader's voice came into her mind.

_Come to me_.

_Yes, Master_.

Vader was not in his room. Amidala went downstairs and found him waiting for her outside, in the backyard. She hesitated for a moment, wondering if he somehow knew about Sabé. He could not; she would have sensed his presence if he were on Imperial City and nearby. And she had to be too grown, as an apprentice, for him to have a spy following her.

"Should I tell you when to walk?" he asked.

"I apologize, Master," said Amidala. She went over to him.

He took his lightsaber out and ignited it. He waited for Amidala to do the same, instead of striking at her after two seconds. The red glow from their blades, along with gold spots of sunlight, made a pretty reflection on Amidala's face. Vader looked at her for a moment before attacking.

They practiced for almost half-an-hour. Amidala did well, but Vader did not complement her. They went into the kitchen. She poured two glasses of water for them.

"Master?" she asked.

"Yes?"

"If you don't mind me asking, do you think my love for you has been affecting my training so far?"

"No," Vader answered honestly, though he would not admit how well she had been working since her feelings had developed. "Why?"

"I do not want to disappoint you."

"Yet if your feelings were in the way, you would do nothing to destroy them, would you?"

"Of course not," Amidala admitted, setting her glass on the counter.

"I must be patient and wait for you to come to your senses, then," her master said. "I believe you will. You are an intelligent girl, Amidala."

She appreciated the complement, but did not reply. She wanted to tell him that he was wrong, and that it was hard for him to know what she felt, since he did not feel the same way. But he would certainly punish her if she said something like that.

Later, when Vader was half-asleep, he heard his apprentice crying quietly. He ignored it. He had a dream about her. When he woke up the next morning, all he remembered was Anakin holding her and stroking her soft hair.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Chapter Eighteen**

"That is surprising," Darth Amidala said, glancing at the fire.

She and Darth Vader had arrived on Naboo a few hours ago. Their ship's hyperdrive was damaged. Although it took less than ten minutes to fix, and they didn't need it to fly, anyway, they were not in a hurry to leave. Amidala liked camping. She thought that her master needed a break after his first busy two weeks as the new emperor, but she kept that to herself.

"Because it was the Jedi apprentice who defeated Lord Maul?" he asked her. He had left Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon's names out of the story, mostly because he had always respected Qui-Gon. The Jedi Council should have listened to him more.

"Yes."

"Most likely, he thought that he would have more difficulty dealing with the master," said Vader. "That is why I always tell you not to underestimate your opponent."

"I understand, Master," Amidala replied, looking at her fiancée. She almost smiled when she thought of Kalie and Syranna asking about the plans for her and "Luke's" wedding.

Vader touched her arm, surprising her. "You have done well during the last past two weeks. I am impressed."

"Thank you, Master," she said, silently thrilled to receive the praise.

With a rush of courage, she sat up a little and tried to kiss his cheek, but he stopped her and kissed her mouth. As she returned it, she sensed a faint hint of something in his mood. It was not nearly as strong as her love, but was some kind of enjoyment, more emotional than physical.

Vader let go of her, probably realizing that she had detected the feeling. Rather than squealing with happiness, his apprentice was quiet.

"May I go inside, Master?" she asked after a moment. "I am tired."

"Yes," he replied. She was lying, but she knew that he wanted to be alone.

She hesitated, then got up and went inside the ship.

* * *

Vader went in after what seemed like an hour or more; he was not wearing a chronowatch. In the small bedroom at the back, Amidala was curled up on the bed, pretending to be asleep. Vader returned to the cockpit, expecting her to join him soon.

He sat down in one of the seats and mentally turned on one of the lights overhead, providing a dim glow. Briefly, he remembered when the lights went out in Anakin and Shmi's small slave apartment. The next morning, Anakin sold a couple of parts from his podracer, along with a few japor snippet ornaments he had carved, to buy candles. He purchased enough to last during the four days that the power was out.

"Master?"

Vader looked at his apprentice as she came closer, appreciating her interrupting his thoughts. She sat in the seat next to his, and turned so that she was facing him.

"You are not discussing anything with me," he told her.

"Please, Master?" she said.

Vader did not reply, but he was not really irritated with her. This was probably the first time she had insisted after already being given an order.

"It isn't weakening, or foolish. I cannot tell you how powerful I feel," she added.

Her master still looked calm, but he was annoyed now. "So what I have taught you about these kinds of relationships is completely wrong, then? I am the fool?"

"No, Master, I just...I don't agree with what you have said about them. And you have told me to marry you, without giving any reason."

"I will give you an explanation if I decide," he replied. "Otherwise, you do not bother me for one."

"I apologize, Master," Amidala said, but she quickly went back to the other subject. "Earlier, I sensed something in you..."

"Or you thought that you did," Vader interrupted. "Perhaps you _are_ starting to become weak."

"But you haven't tried...you don't know..." his apprentice didn't bother trying to finish the sentence. She became quiet again, but she was certain of what she had felt, and he knew that she was.

"I know that I will never love you," he told her. "Leave my sight."

Amidala sensed that the first sentence was a lie. Not wanting to anger her master anymore right now, though, she got up and went back to the bedroom.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

Padawan Sydney Bristow: No, this is one of my several stories where Vader doesn't need the mask and armor, but wears them while at Imperial places and isn't recognized when he isn't wearing them. 

I know this chapter is short, sorry, but I haven't updated this story in almost two weeks.

**Chapter Nineteen**

Darth Amidala was asleep - not pretending this time - when Darth Vader went back to the ship's bedroom. He watched her for a moment. He was angry with her - how dare she try to convince him that _she_ was right about their relationship being serious?

Withoutgetting over-confident, Vader was certain that he was being more rational than his apprentice. He admitted that he was attached to her - she had been his closest companion during the past three years - but that was not necessarily love, was it?

Still, he knew exactly why he had told her that they were getting married - he wanted to make sure that she continued to persue _him_, and nobody else. He enjoyed the fact that she loved him.

He took off his shirt and tossed it to the floor. For now, he pushed the arguements out of his mind, not in the mood to debate them.

Amidala opened her eyes as he lay next to her. He kissed her cheek, then her neck. She said nothing, surprised that he was not angry with her. She froze for a moment, expecting him to suddenly hit her, but he did not. She hesitated, then started to return the kisses.

* * *

They left Naboo the next morning. Amidala was surprised by her master's pleasant mood, but did not want to ruin it, so she did not mention the discussion they had last night.

Vader let her do all of the piloting. When they landed on Yavin Two, he told her that she had done well. The small bit of praise made her feel more great than usual.

They practiced in the backyard for almost an hour. Later, while they were eating dinner, Amidala asked if she had done something wrong.

"No," answered Vader.

His apprentice just nodded, though she was really wondering why he was being...almost nice to her.

"I love you," she said, a little more confidently than when she whispered it at night, when she thought he was asleep or ignoring her.

"I tolerate you, without difficulty," he replied.

"Thank you, Master." Amidala smiled. "Am I going to Imperial City with you tomorrow?"

"Yes. We are getting married."


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Chapter Twenty**

This time, Sabé was certain that she saw Padmé. Her friend - well, she was not really her friend now - was leaving a small, expensive wedding chapel. A handsome but creepy blonde human man had his arm inside hers.

_So much for me and Ollana being your bridesmaids_, Sabé thought angrily. Ollana's wedding was in less than a month, but Sabé had decided not to mention that she had seen Padmé.

She turned and quickly went inside a café before the couple could notice her.

* * *

A few days later, the _Executor's_ admiral had a private party, for his daughter and niece, on Imperial City. Darth Amidala went, mainly to spy on a bounty hunter that Jabba the Hutt had hired - it was never bad to be a little nosy and see what some of these major crimelords were doing.

She hid her presence as she went inside the hotel ballroom. Looking around, she decided that there was no need to keep herself invisible the whole time. There were at least a hundred other guests. It was doubtful that the two birthday girls had personally invited them all.

"Ami!"

Amidala turned and saw Syranna Tessan approaching her. She made a small, fake smile. She was no longer bothered by the girl, but she was not in the mood to socialize.

"Hello," Syranna said, noticing the ring on Amidala's finger. It had a single diamond that was almost as big as her thumb's nail.

Syranna was wearing a white gown. Amidala owned the same one, and knew it cost almost six hundred credits. Syranna must have somehow gotten rich, which was interesting. It wouldn't hurt to find out what she had been doing.

"Hi. Did you move here?"

"Yes. I can't believe that you're _not_ with your fiancée. Where is Luke?"

"Husband, now. I am going to our new apartment. I just came here to say hello to a few people," Amidala replied. "How are you?"

"Excited," Syranna said, whispering all of a sudden, "and nervous."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Promise you won't tell anyone - including Kalie?"

"Sure. I haven't seen Kalie since I last talked to you," Amidala answered. "Is something wrong?"

"My new boyfriend - Terence - is a smuggler."

"Wow."

"I always get worried about him, though. I hope he isn't caught by Darth Vader or something. That monster would probably torture him."

"Don't worry," Amidala assured her. "The Imperial City authorities can deal with him. Darth Vader has more important matters than your low-life scum boyfriend."

Syranna stared at her for a moment, then tried to slap her. Amidala easily stopped her hand, and let go, not wanting to make a scene. She hid her presence and left.

* * *

Amidala met her master at their ship. As he prepared it for taking off, she told him about Syranna, and mentioned that she had not seen the bounty hunter that Jabba had hired. Darth Vader did not seem seriously concerned by either part of her report, which relieved her. She did not feel like following the bounty hunter or Syranna around.

Feeling tired, she stood up and went to the back of the ship. Her master came and woke her up when they entered the Yavin system.


	21. Chapter TwentyOne

**Author's note (please read)**: I'm going to delete Dark Hearts and re-write it, but with the same plot and longer (the way I re-wrote Angel). It's one of my earlier stories, and I don't feel like just editing the grammar and spelling. 

I know I haven't updated this story in six months, I didn't think very many people were reading or liking it.

**Chapter Twenty-One**

After taking a shower and drying her hair, Darth Amidala decided to stay in her room instead of going over to Darth Vader's. She had a feeling that he was not in a great mood, even though he had not acted very angry about the conversation they had had a few nights ago.

_"And you have told me to marry you, without giving any reason."_

She could not believe she had actually said that to him, and did not want to make things worse by trying to bring up the love subject again, unless her master mentioned it himself.

_"I know that I will never love you."_

Amidala had sensed the twinge of dishonesty when her master said that to her, of course, but she was not very excited. He was probably just uncertain when he said it, which made it somewhat dishonest. It did not promise anything.

She sighed and put on a dark red nightgown, then went to bed. Sitting on the table beside her bed was a computer disk she had gotten from the living room earlier. On it was a typed copy of a diary of a Sith Lady. She had been a Jedi once, then began dating Emperor Palpatine's master. He turned her and then asked her to marry him.

Vader had always told Amidala not to easily believe everything she read in some of the copies of books and diaries, though, since there was really no way of knowing if anyone had added or made up some things while re-typing them.

Amidala picked it up the disk, but suddenly felt too lazy to go over to the shelf on her wall and get her laptop computer. She yawned and set the disk down again, then mentally turned the room's lights off.

* * *

When she got up the next morning, Vader was not home. She slowly and carefully got dressed and went outside to the backyard, with her lightsaber in her hand, in case her master was planning to give her a surprise test attack. 

After a few minutes, he still did not show up. Amidala cautiously turned and went back inside. When she looked in the garage, she saw that one of the speeders was not there. She frowned and went to the kitchen.

* * *

Amidala spent most of the day feeling bored, but tried to keep herself busy. She went down to the gym in the house's basement and exercised, cleaned her lightsaber, and finished reading the rest of the diary she had started on yesterday. 

Vader returned when the sun was starting to set. Amidala quickly went up to her bedroom as soon as she heard his speeder approaching, in case he was angry with her or was not in a good mood.

Suddenly, she remembered that he had mentioned getting a part for one of the speeders.

_Why wouldn't he take me along to do that_? she thought, feeling almost suspicious. The idea of him...sneaking was not completely stupid, since their marriage did not seem to be very important to him. Amidala had not tried asking again about why they had gotten married, since he would most likely not tell her.

_No_, she thought, sitting on the edge of the bed. Vader did not love her. He would not care if she knew he was adulterous or not, and would not make any attempt to hide it. He would probably tell her if she asked.

Amidala sighed, not feeling better, and stood up again. She heard her master go into his room.

When she looked, the door to his room was open, so she tried going inside. He glanced at her, and seemed to be in a decent mood.

"Hello, Master," she said quietly. "I was going to try starting on my extra lightsaber, but I need a crystal."

None of that was dishonest, but Vader saw through it anyway. "You want to know where I was."

Amidala nodded, feeling impatient. She wanted to hug him.

"Because you did not deal with the bounty hunter you were watching for the other night," he continued, "I decided to do it myself."

"I apologize, Master," Amidala said, even though he had not said anything when she told him about not seeing the bounty hunter at the party.

"I have another task for you."

"Yes, Master?"

"Syranna's boyfriend, Terence." Vader took his sleeveless white shirt off. "You are correct - I could care less about smugglers - but his brother is the one who annoys me."

Amidala nodded again and walked over to the large black armchair in the corner. She sat down.

"Who is his brother?" she asked.

"I will tell you more tomorrow. Go to your room. I will be there in a moment."

"Yes, Master." Amidala got up and left.


	22. Chapter TwentyTwo

Author's note: I won't delete the old Dark Hearts until after the new one is up. Thank you forceuser1465 for asking about it. 

At Your Side is on hiatus for right now, since I've started updating Wherever You Go again and I'd like to have just two current stories right now.

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Amidala moved over to the other side of the bed, probably pretending that she was already falling asleep. Vader knew that she was crying.

The lamp on the table beside her bed was on. He glanced at a faint scar that was on her lower back, near her waist, which he had done with his lightsaber last year. She might have noticed that he was nice enough to make the burn in a place that was not very noticeable, mostly because she often did fake flirting whenever she was tracking a male. That was not ever difficult for her.

She shivered and pulled the blankets up around her more, and let out a soft sob that gave away the fact that she was crying. Vader did not say anything. She had started doing this a couple of times during during the past week or two. Once she thought he was asleep, she would move closer again and try to snuggle against his side without disturbing him.

She sniffled, then reached up and turned off the lamp.

"I love you," she said softly.

"You continue to disappoint me," Vader replied, just to make her be quiet. He felt the pain come over her, as if he had punched her.

"I..." she started, then decided not to irritate him. "Good night."

* * *

Darth Amidala was surprised at who Terence's brother was - Captain Ryck on one of the slightly lower-class Star Destroyers, who had helped his brother avoid being caught. She doubted that he would have been stupid enough to help his brother's smuggling if he were an officer on the _Executor_ or one of Darth Vader's other ships.

Right now, it was evening on Naboo. The Imperial base that Ryck was at had closed almost two hours ago, and Amidala had followed him to a bar. She was wearing a dark green dress that stopped several inches above her knees, and had left her wedding ring on the table beside her bed.

Her master was around somewhere, but had not come with her. She wished he had. She was sitting on a stool with Ryck standing too closely beside her, leaning on the counter a little.

He had light brown hair, like Terence, and green eyes. He was probably in his late twenties, around Vader's age. Amidala could call him decently handsome, if she were not too focused on her master to notice anybody else. She did know what his first name was, and he had called himself by his last name when he approached her - on his own; she had just given him a couple of smiles.

"Let me get you a drink," he said.

"No, thank you," she replied, feeling as if she was going to throw up. She moved away an inch or two, as much as she could without halfway falling off of the stool.

Surprisingly, he noticed that he was making her uneasy.

"Sorry," he said, sitting on the stool beside her. "Do you live around here?"

"No. I'm visiting," Amidala answered. Saying that did not sound strange, even though she was a Naboo native and had lived here her whole life before Vader found her. In fact, her old neighborhood was just on the other side of this town, and she felt no desire to go there.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Why?"

"You look depressed," said Ryck, and before Amidala could respond, he noticed that her eyes were wet. "Feel free to talk. I don't mind listening."

Amidala did not start crying, but appreciated Ryck's kindness. It seemed to be genuine. She almost felt bad about spying on him. Perhaps he was just worried about Terence and wanted to keep an eye on him.

Usually, that feeling did not last long, since Amidala had been a Sith apprentice for three years and had gotten over feeling sorry for people she spied on. But she looked at Ryck for a moment.

"Someone," she said.

"Sorry, I didn't know. I'm being rude, aren't I? You're taken? Married?" Ryck guessed. He took a sip of his drink.

Amidala just shook her head quietly, and did not say which question she was responding to.

Ryck cautiously touched her shoulder. "Whoever hurt you is an idiot."

_No_, she thought angrily, but she just shrugged.

He leaned in a little and kissed her cheek. "There's a play starting at that theater next door. Would you like to go?"

Amidala decided that she should, just to keep up her act. She looked up at Ryck, and he kissed her mouth. She hesitated, then returned it.

He rubbed her shoulder and kissed her again. She felt confused.

"There's also the Royal Gardens Theater, in Theed," he said. "It's not far from the hotel I'm staying at."

Amidala made a fake smile. "I think I'm going to go back to my hotel, if you don't mind. I'm a little tired."

"I can give you a ride," Ryck offered, touching her arm. He finished the rest of the drink in the glass he was holding.

She shook her head. "No thanks. I came in my own speeder."

"Want me to come along and make sure you get there safely?"

"No, but I would love it if you could show me around Theed. Why don't we meet at the Royal Gardens Theater tomorrow? At noon?" Amidala asked. She was not really planning to show up, though, unless her master wanted her to.

"Sure." Ryck kissed her again, more lightly.

"I will see you tomorrow, then. Good night," Amidala said. She got up quickly and left.

* * *

Vader had gotten home before his apprentice. He was inside his room. The door was mostly open, but she quickly went to her own room, wanting to get her wedding ring. She sighed as she put it on, somehow feeling relieved.

When she turned around, Vader was waiting inside her doorway.

"Master," she said. "Ryck will be at the Royal Gardens Theater, in Theed, tomorrow at noon."

He did not seem to be paying attention. "Come here."

He mentally turned the ceiling light on, and touched Amidala's chin, now noticing that her pale pink lipstick was messed up. Of course, he had half-expected her to use flirting methods, especially with the dress she was wearing, but his good mood suddenly disappeared. He did not understand why he was annoyed, but did not care.

"Master?" Amidala asked. Her breath had a faint smell of alcohol. Vader doubted that she had been drinking any of it herself. She probably would have ordered water or something else.

"One of my agents will handle him," he replied.

"Yes, Master," she said quietly, trying to figure out what she had done wrong. It could not be Ryck, she had been trying to trap him, of course. She shivered.

"I-I want to take a shower..." she said.

Vader let go of her. "No. We are going somewhere."

"May I go change clothes?"

"Yes."

Amidala gave a small bow of her head and quickly went to her closet.


	23. Chapter TwentyThree

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

Amidala changed into black pants and a long-sleeved grey shirt. As she put on her boots, she tried to think of how she had annoyed her master. She guessed that he might be taking her out into the forest, probably to leave her there for the night.

She went to the window. It was going to be dark in less than an hour, and she would not be surprised if she and Vader rode around for a little while first, until it was completely dark. Just in case, she put on one of her thinner black cloaks, and hid a small flashlight in one of the inside pockets. If she got lost while trying to walk back to the house, she would have to stop and make a campfire.

When she went into the living room, she did not sense any anger from her master, but that did not relax her.

He looked at her. "Take one of the speeders and go to the lake. I will meet you there. Stay until I arrive."

"Yes, Master," she replied, knowing he meant the lake on the Falleen family's vacation property. For a second, she thought of asking him why they could not just go together, but in case he really was in a better mood, she did not want to bother him. She went to the garage.

* * *

After waiting at the lake for almost an hour, Amidala realized what was going on - her master had not said _when_ he was meeting her. 

She sighed and decided to go ahead and make a campfire, since Vader probably would not show up until at least morning. There were a few empty bottles in the speeder's back compartment. Perhaps she would have to go over to the Falleen family's vacation house and break in.

Once the fire was going, she sat down and tried not to cry. Now that she had feelings for her master and was trying even harder to impress him, every small thing she did wrong seemed worse. She had guessed that she would be out in the woods all night, and had not thought of bringing a full water bottle.

She thought about Ryck, and suddenly wondered if her master had watched them.

That did not seem very likely, since she had not seen Vader at all, but what if he had come into the bar for a minute?

_...and saw us kiss_? Amidala thought. But why would he care? He might have wanted her to toy with Ryck a little, to trap him. That was probably one reason why he had sent Amidala to follow him.

She remembered Vader simply studying her face earlier, and sighed again. He did not care, or else he would have shown more anger. She was getting too excited.

Feeling hungry, she glanced at the lake and considering trying to catch a fish. That was going to be hard at night. Before, in the daytime, she had waited until she saw a fish in the water and used the Force to grasp it.

She suddenly thought of going somewhere else, even though her master had told her to stay here. It was unlikely that he would be here before morning. She knew it was a stupid, risky idea, but perhaps she could go to one of the nearby towns and be back in two or three hours.

_I might as well, if he's already angry with me_, she thought.

After putting out the fire, she left.

* * *

Darth Vader was watching Ryck. He did not really have to, but he wanted to make sure that the man was still planning to meet Amidala tomorrow. 

At the moment, he was sitting alone inside an upscale tavern and lounge. Ryck was on the other side of the room, at the bar, talking to two Zabrak men.

Vader was not paying much attention to them now, since he had felt the change in Amidala's presence. She was closer now - she must have left the lake. Vader had actually planned to go there in another hour or so, but if his apprentice was trying to come closer, he might as well wait and see if she ran into him. Sith and Jedi could find the town or area that someone was in, but not the exact spot.

If Amidala was not trying to find him, he guessed that she would be going to a restaurant or a diner, if she was hungry. Or she might leave again once she sensed that he was so close by, knowing that he was going to sense her. As soon as she was within in the town, he would be able to connect with her mentally.

A Twi'lek girl walked past his booth, giving him a small wave. She had come over earlier and tried to talk to him, but he used a mind trick to make her go away.

When he glanced at the tavern's entrance, he recognized a human girl, wearing a short yellow dress, who had just come inside - Sabé. He started to hide his presence, then changed his mind.

Sabé started to go over to the bar, but stopped when she noticed him. She hesitated, then came over to the booth.

"Hello," she said, extending her hand. "You're Padme's...well, she must have told you about me. I'm Sabé. Nice to finally meet you."

"She has not mentioned you," Vader replied, not making any move to shake her hand.

She was annoyed, but made a fake smile. "My boyfriend is going to be here in a few minutes. May I sit down?"

"No."

"Excuse me? It'll just be a few minutes," Sabé said again, trying to look cute. She did not try to sit, though. "What's wrong with Padmé? She disappeared three years ago, and when I last saw her, she acted like she didn't even know me. But I bet she hasn't told you any of that."

"Why should I believe you?" Vader replied, to irritate her.

"What? I just want to know if Padmé has said anything to you."

"No."

"I don't know what her problem is. And you're a creep," Sabé said, more upset than angry. She turned away and left.

* * *

A few minutes later, Amidala entered the tavern. She had noticed her master's speeder outside. He had now sensed that she was closer, so she figured she should go inside. Before she could go over to him, though, Ryck noticed her. She hid her presence and went past him. 

"Master..." she started as she sat next to him, knowing she did not have a good explanation. "I am sorry for leaving the lake..."

"Shut up," he interrupted.

He did not sound angry. Relieved, she glanced at Ryck, who was back at the bar. He glanced around the room once or twice, probably looking for her. Finally, when he stood up and left, she un-hid her presence.

Vader studied Amidala for a second. Other than being worried about making him mad, she did not seem bothered. He guessed that she had not run into Sabé, or had seen her and just not cared.

"Will we need to watch Syranna and Terence some more?" she asked him, mostly for conversation.

"No," he replied.

"What if they wonder how someone found out about Ryck hiding Terence's smuggling jobs?"

"It does not concern me."

Amidala nodded as a waitress came to their table. She just ordered tea, even though she was still hungry.

A Zabrak boy, passing by their table, noticed that there were a few inches of space between Amidala and Vader, which seemed to give him an idea. As he started to approached them, Amidala slid closer to her master and rested her head against his chest. The Zabrak got the message. He turned away and went to the bar.

"Can we go, Master?" Amidala asked quietly, even though the waitress had not brought her tea yet.

"Yes," he answered, noticing how tired she was.

* * *

They each took one of the speeders. Vader waited a moment after Amidala left, briefly thinking of going somewhere else and letting her wait several hours for him to come home, but changed his mind. He realized she had not been paying any attention to Ryck, which suddenly made his annoyance with her fade. 

He knew he had not been jealous, he just did not want her to develop an interest in someone else and become distracted. Her feelings for Vader made her more loyal to him, which was useful, and the hurtful things he said did not discourage her at all. He was proud of her determination, even though he was not going to tell her that. Hopefully she would pass that quality onto her own apprentice.

Vader pushed the thought away and started the speeder. Amidala would definately not be ready anytime soon. She still needed him for at least five years, most likely longer - hardly any Sith apprentices ever completed their training in less than ten years. Besides, Amidala was going to have difficulty teaching someone while she was depressed and crying about Vader not wanting her. He guessed that she was not even thinking of having her own apprentice one day. She did not want to leave him.

* * *

Amidala reached the house first. She had been a little surprised to see Ryck here on Yavin Two, if he thought he was meeting her again on Naboo tomorrow. She did not really care, though, since one of her master's agents was going to handle him. 

She changed into a nightgown and went to bed. When Vader came into her room, she was asleep. He decided not to disturb her, since he was giving her a small test tomorrow, and went to his room.


	24. Chapter TwentyFour

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

Darth Amidala was glad to go to the _Executor_ the next day. Her master was wearing his armor. Amidala still wore a lot of cloaks and hid part of her face, as well as blue contacts in her eyes. Soon, there was going to be an announcement that she was the empress of the galaxy, and she did not want anybody recognizing her in public without her disguises.

For now, she acted as if she had no relationship with Vader. More than one of the officers seemed to suspect it, though, with the way she followed him around - and she thought that one or two officers might have seen her go into her master's private chambers. She was not really worried, though, since they would soon know that she was the empress.

Most of them were a little nervous around her - not nearly as scared as they were of Vader, but since they had the impression that she was his girlfriend or wife, they were very respectful toward her. She had started giving them some orders, since she was the second-in-command of the Empire now. But Vader had not left her in charge of a whole ship, by herself, yet. He probably did not think she was ready to try that.

She glanced around the hall before entering her master's chambers, not seeing anyone. She went inside. This was one of the only halls that did not have surveillance cameras, so she did not worry about anyone noticing her on them.

* * *

She stayed there for almost an hour, until she and Vader left. They took one of the shuttles to the Yavin Two base. 

As they were riding to the house, Vader told Amidala about her assignment - which was also a test, but she did not know that.

"You are going to Dagobah," he said, noticing that she slowed the speeder just a little.

"Dagobah? You're going to let me take the ship there by myself, Master?" she asked, almost hitting a small bush. It would not have done much damage if she hit it, but she still swerved the speeder just in time.

"No. I will go there with you, but you will do this alone," he answered.

His apprentice nodded, feeling a little better.

"I have told you about Darth Maul," he continued, looking at her.

"Yes, Master," she replied.

"He once stayed in a small retreat on the planet, and I would like to know if it is still there," Vader said. That was true, but he did not really care if Amidala found the place or not.

Once she found it, or was at least close to it, she would be within a few miles of Yoda's house, if the spy that had found the house had not made a mistake. Vader had not gone to check, since he did not want the Jedi to sense that he was there.

* * *

He and Amidala left for Dagobah less than an hour after they reached the house. Amidala became a little nervous. She guessed that it would be dark when they arrived, and hoped her master was not going to make her wander through a swamp at night, alone. 

Vader sensed that she was uneasy. Normally, he would at least slap her when he detected that she was scared about an assignment. Sith did not fear. But during the past two years, as she had grown stronger and more dedicated, he had hardly ever had to scold her for being nervous about an assignment. He admitted that it was even better now that she loved him and was determined to impress him whenever she could.

He looked at her for a moment as she sat in one of the chairs in the ship's cockpit. For a second, he was nice, and decided not to say anything to her. Her task on Dagobah was going to be difficult enough, anyway, so he did not want to make her more stressed.

Amidala glanced at his hands, looking at his wedding ring, a simple, thick silver band. Surprisingly, he seemed to never take it off. Even when she did see him remove it, he always remembered to put it on. That sometimes made her feel hopeful, but perhaps he just liked the ring. She decided not to annoy him about it.

She looked at her own ring for a moment, then took it off and put it in a pocket on the inside of her cloak. She did not want to lose it.

"Master, won't it be dark by the time we land?" she finally asked, hoping he would give her a hint about whether she would have to start looking for the hideout immediately.

"Yes. We will wait until morning," he said.

She nodded, relieved. "May I go lay down? I am a little tired."

"Yes," he answered. She got up and went to the bedroom at the back of the ship.

* * *

Author's note: Sorry if this chapter was a little short, I wanted to go ahead and post it. The next chapter is going to be longer. 


	25. Chapter TwentyFive

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

There were a couple of large clearings that Vader knew of, so he easily landed the ship in an area that was more forest, not quiet as swampy.

Darth Amidala was quiet when she came back to the front of the ship. It was almost dark outside, as she had guessed. She hoped that her master was not going to change his mind about letting her wait until morning to go look for the Sith hideout.

For a second, she imagined her master waiting until she was a mile or two away, then leaving the planet so that she could stay here alone for a few days. That did not seem very unrealistic, and it made Amidala more nervous. She knew the woods on Yavin Two and could easily stay in them for a few nights, but she was unfamiliar with Dagobah's swamps.

She waited a moment, in case Darth Vader was going to say something to her, but he did not. She turned and went back to the bedroom.

Vader joined her a few minutes later. She was already asleep, but opened her eyes as he got into bed. She moved over a little to make room for him, and surprisingly, she did not try to snuggle next to him. She probably thought that he was angry with her.

He was sure that she would run into Yoda while looking for the hideout - Vader could not follow her for more than a mile, maybe two, or else Yoda would sense his presence.

Vader expected the Jedi to have the idea that Amidala was still good inside and still had a chance. If he was able to persuade her somehow, she might not come back. And if she did not, then Vader would go after her. He would punish her severely, maybe wait until they were back on Yavin Two and leave her far enough from the house that she would have to stay in the woods for a week while trying to find her way home.

It would be a good lesson, if it was even necessary. The thought of Amidala trying to attack Yoda before he could say one sentence was interesting. She was a little surprising sometimes - for example, the way she completely ignored Ollana and Sabé. Vader would have expected her to have some difficulty doing that.

He glanced at her, seeing that she was asleep again, then mentally turned off the room's light.

* * *

_Amidala_. 

Her master's voice, in her mind, woke Amidala up. She got up and got dressed, and made sure that her wedding ring was still in the pocket inside her cloak. She also looked in one of the boxes under the bed, and took a small bottle out from one of them.

After going to the ship's tiny kitchen area - which was just a sink and a small refrigerator - and filling the bottle with water, she went outside. Vader was patiently waiting. He did not seem to be in a huge hurry for her to leave, but she wondered again if he was planning to leave her here.

He gave her something - a compass.

"You will keep going west until you find the retreat," he said.

Amidala was quiet at first. Sometimes she liked it when he gave her only a couple of details - it was more challenging - but she was not excited about this. She looked at the trees ahead of them and could see where this forest area started to become more of a swamp. And why was her master making her look for the retreat if he knew exactly how to get to it from here?

_He probably has a reason_, she thought. Maybe he thought that having to wander through an unfamiliar area would be good practice for her.

"Yes, Master," she said.

"You will return here by sunrise tomorrow," he added. "Whether you have been successful or not."

Amidala nodded, and she suddenly felt scared, not just nervous.

Vader sensed it and slapped her, hard, but for some reason she did not feel anything at first. Her nervousness was bothering her more.

"What is wrong with you?" he asked her.

"I apologize, Master." She touched her cheek and waited for him to say something else, but he did not. Before she could make him more angry, she turned and left.

Vader stood in the ship's shade and watched until his apprentice disappeared into the trees. She did not turn around and look back once, which made him proud.

* * *

As soon as Amidala was out of his sight, Vader checked the ship to make sure that no mynocks had attached themselves anywhere. They mostly lived on the other side of the planet, but he wanted to look anyway. 

He was about to go inside when he heard rustling. At first, he thought that Amidala was already frightened and coming back, but the noise was coming from the opposite direction.

It was a dark-haired human man, wearing light brown pants and a matching jacket over a white shirt. He was wearing a dark brown leather pack on his back. As he got closer, Vader saw that he was probably in his twenties or early thirties.

"Hey," he said. "Sorry to bother you, but I heard your ship land last night. Having any problems?"

"Yes," Vader lied, "but I can repair it."

"I'm Kitster. My wife and I are zoologists. We're camping here for the week," the man replied. "Need any help?"

"No." Vader was surprised, but said nothing about it. Kitster did not recognize who he was without his armor, of course, and nine-year-old Anakin was the last that Kitster had seen of his best friend. It was unlikely that he could have any clue about who this adult man had been.

"Well, if you go straight that way..." Kitster turned and pointed in the way he had come from, "you should find our camp site in about half-an-hour. Come by if you need anything."

"Thank you," Vader replied, which would hopefully make him go away now.

"Of course. Be careful."

Once Kitster was gone, Vader went inside the ship.

* * *

After walking for almost an hour, Amidala felt much better, at least for now. Her cheek had stung a little when she first left, but it was fine now. She had deserved it. She did not know why she was getting so upset. Even if her master _was_ planning to leave her here, he would probably be back in a day or two. 

Within another hour, Yoda could faintly sense her presence. She felt his, but since she had never met him and was not as familiar with him as Vader was, she did not know who the Force-strong being was.

She was not really bothered. There might be someone else here, probably some person who did not even know they were Force-strong. She was not going to be concerned about it unless they got closer to her.

She stopped for a moment, deciding she could rest for ten minutes. Since she did not know how far away the Sith retreat still was, she could not waste a lot of time. Whether she found it or got lost while looking around for it, she had to allow herself enough time to get back to the ship by tomorrow morning.

Again, the instructions her master had given her seemed a little ridiculous. Even he had to think they were - go look for the retreat, when he already knew how to get to it, but she had to be back by morning even though she didn't have any idea how long it would take her to get there and back? There had to be something else to this.

One idea came to her. She could just spend the night here, then go back in the morning. But that would not work if he was going to question her about her search.

_I still need to do exactly what he said, and then I hopefully won't mess up, even if there is some kind of trick behind this_, she thought. She sat down on a large rock that was mostly dry.

So far, walking had not been too difficult, except for going around small ponds and puddles. Amidala had also noticed a couple of plants she recognized, which had nuts that were safe to eat.

After a few minutes, she got up and continued walking.

* * *

During the afternoon, Vader barely thought about his meeting with Kitster. He was unaffected by it. 

He cleaned two of the three lightsabers he had with him, and repaired the third one. Later, while he was meditating, he felt Amidala's presence in his mind. She was trying to connect with him, even though she did not say anything. He ignored her.

* * *

Almost six hours after she had left the ship, Amidala re-considered giving up. She felt miserable, she had not seen any water that looked safe to drink, she was tired, and she wondered if she had already gone past the Sith retreat a while ago. Darth Maul would be disappointed. 

Vader was miles away. Amidala desperately missed him, that hurt her more than her thirst and not being successful with this assignment. Twice, she had tried to mentally connect with him again, and had not gotten a response. She let out a sad sigh, and was about to turn around when she noticed something.

The Force-sensitive presence, whoever it was, was a lot closer now. It was also very strong, but Amidala did not really care. If she ran into the person, she would pretend to be lost. Maybe they would have an extra water bottle or food.

She went over to a nearby rock, brushed a couple of dead leaves off it, and sat down. Glancing at her chronowatch, she decided to wait ten or fifteen minutes. If no one showed up, she would start heading back to the ship, and deal with her master's anger when she got there. The thought of him punishing her did not even make her nervous.

Ten minutes went by. Amidala stared at her watch for a moment and decided to let herself rest for another ten minutes before leaving.

When she looked up, she saw Yoda approaching her.

"I didn't hear you coming," she said, guessing that he was good at sneaking through the swamp. She was about to add something mean, but stopped. They had not met before; perhaps he would not recognize who she was.

"Welcome, Darth Amidala," he said.

Amidala sighed. "Leave me alone."

"Lost, are you?"

"What do you want?"

"Not far, my house is."

"I'm not going home with you. You're not my type," Amidala replied.

The Jedi patiently ignored her sarcasm. "Food. Good food. Come with me before you starve, you should."

Amidala stared at him for a second. Her sad mood suddenly turned into frustration.

"What is wrong with you?" she snapped, standing up. "I didn't even hear you coming. You could have tried to attack me and completely caught me by surprise."

"Attack you? Of course not."

"You're going to wish you had," Amidala said.

"I mean you no harm." Yoda sat down on a small, almost flat rock. "Have no reason to hurt you, do I. Come with me."

"Do you always invite Sith to your house? I'll kill you as soon as you aren't paying attention," Amidala replied. "My master will be very pleased."

Yoda studied her for a moment, hopefully realizing that she was not going to be any more friendly to him than Vader would. Was he acting this way because she was an apprentice? Underestimating her was going to be a mistake, which he would see soon. She smiled to herself.

"Your master," he said. "Know everything about him, you do not."

"If you're speaking about his past as a Jedi, then yes, I do," Amidala said calmly.

"Told you, did he?"

"Yes. He saw through all of the Jedi lies, and he and Palpatine saved the galaxy from their corruption."

"Believe that, do you?" asked Yoda, still not sounding frustrated.

"Yes. I know it." Amidala reached inside her cloak and took out her lightsaber. She turned it on. "Would you like to see some of the tricks that my master has taught me?"

Yoda looked at the glowing red blade for a moment, but made no move to take out his own lightsaber - maybe he did not even have it with him.

"Like him, you are," he replied quietly. "Hopeless, it is."

"Did you really come out here to try and lecture me?" Amidala asked.

Yoda did not answer. He turned and began walking away. Amidala just watched him, irritated. He had not even tried to fight her. The adrenline that had started to go through her veins stopped. She considered going after him and attacking, but changed her mind. She wanted to start walking back to the ship.

* * *

It was dark when she returned. Vader was outside, standing near a campfire. She had not tried to mentally connect with him again, but he had probably noticed that her presence was getting closer. 

"Master," she said. She might as well get her punishment over with. "I did not find the retreat, I...I got distracted, and..."

"What happened?" he asked patiently, not looking angry.

She told him about Yoda. After listening, he was quiet at first.

"Did anything he say interest you?" he asked.

"What? I mean, no, Master," Amidala said. "Why?"

"How did you feel?"

"About what, Master?"

"Anything," Vader said.

Amidala hesitated. "I couldn't believe he dared to invite me to his house, and when I took out my lightsaber, like I told you...he didn't even try to fight me. He just left. It made me angry."

"Why?"

"I don't know," Amidala answered. "Maybe he assumed that it would not be fair to attack me..."

"...since you are only an apprentice?"

"That's how I felt." Amidala paused. "I did not kill him when I had a chance, Master. I am sorry."

"Perhaps, but he made a mistake as well," Vader said, surprising her. "Do you see how his underestimating you could have been dangerous to him?"

"Yes, my Master."

"I am pleased with you," Vader added.

Amidala was surprised to hear that. "Thank you, Master. May I go inside?"

"Yes," he answered.

When she tried to go past him, he slid one arm around her waist, stopping her, then pulled her closer. She hugged him. He returned it, holding her tightly for a moment, which surprised her again.

She did not want to ruin his good mood, so she said nothing. After a moment, he let go of her, and she went inside the ship.


	26. Chapter TwentySix

Author's note: Thanks for all the reviews, I really appreciate them and they help me ignore some of the mean ones I get. 

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

As soon as she was inside the ship, Amidala drank a whole bottle of water and almost half of another one. Vader watched her, silently admitting that sending her out into the swamp had not been wise. She was thirsty, tired, and starving. If she were not a Sith, she probably would have been in a much worse condition. He saw how her desire to impress him and her anger with Yoda had almost made her ignore her fatigue.

She stood near one of the seats in the cockpit, shivering - it took a few minutes for the ship's heating to be noticeable. Vader went over to his apprentice and took off his cloak, draping it over her shoulders. She pulled it more tightly around herself, as if it was very precious to her.

Vader ignored the stupid, dreamy look in her eyes and went to the back of the ship.

Amidala was about to get up and follow him, but decided to wait a few minutes, since he was still in a surprisingly good mood after her failure, and she did not want to ruin it. She sat down in one of the cockpit's seats.

She closed her eyes briefly, but was too ravenous to fall asleep. After nuzzling her face into the cloak's folds for a second, she slipped it off and left it in the chair, then went to the kitchen area. She had put some bantha steak in the small refridgerator a few days ago.

She was already eating when Vader came out of the bedroom. He went outside again. Again, she decided to leave him alone for now.

After she ate, she went to bed. If her master was planning to punish her, he would at least have to wait until tomorrow. Strangely, though, she had trouble falling asleep. Yoda's words came to her mind more than once.

_"Like him, you are."_

To Amidala, that was a complement. Perhaps the Jedi Master did not seriously think that she was harmless. But the way he had hardly glanced at her lightsaber, as if he did not really expect her to try to fight him, still made her angry.

* * *

Darth Vader let Amidala sleep late the next morning, and he was glad that she was still resting when he went outside, at almost noon. As soon as he left the ship, he heard rustling in the trees - somebody approaching. He instantly guessed that it was Kitster. He could not feel Yoda's presence; the Jedi was too far away and would probably not dare to come and bother Darth Amidala while her master was around.

Vader was correct, it was Kitster. He was no longer surprised about encountering his - Anakin's old friend, but mostly annoyed.

"Hey," Kitster said. "I thought you were still here. Britney - my wife - and I didn't hear your ship leave. I came by to see how you were doing with those repairs..."

"Finished," Vader interrupted, letting himself sound slightly impatient.

Kitster seemed to get the point. "Sorry. Britney's cousin, Padmé, went out with her friends three years ago, and she never came back. Britney's kind of over-cautious since then."

_Master_? Amidala's voice softly asked inside Vader's mind. She must have just woken up.

_Stay inside_, he replied.

"Well," Kitster added, "come find our camp site if you need anything. If not, have a safe trip home."

He extended his hand. Vader shook it with only partially fake politeness, admitting that he was impressed that Kitster had somehow gotten out of slavery. But he was not tempted to reveal who he was or what had happened to Anakin.

He watched until Kitster disappeared into the trees, then went inside the ship.

* * *

Amidala was sitting inside the cockpit, wearing the same dark brown pants and sleeveless black shirt she had worn yesterday, she had forgotten to bring a few extra clothes. She had loosely covered her shoulders with her master's cloak, the one he had let her borrow last night. Once he looked at her, she quickly shrugged it off, looking a little bit embarassed.

"Are we leaving, Master?" she asked, standing up.

"Yes," he answered. "Now."

"I am glad."

"So am I," Vader admitted, going over to one of the two front seats.

Amidala sat down in the other one, briefly thinking of how lonely and miserable she had been during her walk through the swamp yesterday. Her annoyance with Yoda flickered for a second, but right now she was more relieved that her master had not decided to leave her here for a few days.

"I love you," she said quietly, mostly thinking to herself rather than saying it to him.

She wondered if he had missed her at all while she was looking for the Sith retreat yesterday - which had probably not been the main point of the assignment. By now, she was convinced that her master had tried to make her encounter her Yoda, but she was not angry with him. The fact that he had thought she was ready to face the Jedi Master alone was a complement.

Changing the subject, she asked, "Master, may I start on my extra lightsaber soon?"

"Yes," he answered a little distantly, as if he were busy thinking about something else. She decided not to bother him further.

* * *

It was already evening when they got home. Amidala went to her bedroom and took a long shower, then went to bed. After reading more of Palpatine's master's wife's diary, she tried going to sleep.

_She was lucky_, Amidala thought, closing her eyes. _Lord Plagueous actually _wanted_ her_.

She almost wished she could talk to him, and figure out how he had convinced the Jedi to join him.

A few minutes later, Vader came into her room. Amidala pretended to be sleeping already, even though that never worked. She almost felt him looking at her for a second, but he just lay next to her without making any move to disturb her. Soon, she fell asleep.


	27. Chapter TwentySeven

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

"Good. Thank you, Captain," Amidala said nicely. She was in her master's chambers on the _Executor_ - he was not here yet - sitting in the chair inside the egg-shaped thing. The fact that she was allowed to do that was probably another reason why the men here already suspected that she was close to Vader.

She did not care. The announcement that she was his wife would be in almost every periodical by the end of the week.

Mentally, she released the captain. He gasped for air once, probably glad that Lady Amidala was here instead of Lord Vader. Amidala sensed that she had made him nervous, but she guessed that her master would later say something about this if he had been here to see it. She did not scare the officers enough. They did not briefly fight over who had to go talk to her, the way they did with Vader.

A few minutes after the captain left, the admiral came in to let her know that Vader's shuttle had just arrived. She smiled behind the black cloth that was covering the lower part of her face, and went to go meet him.

* * *

Vader told his apprentice to go home, and added that he would be home tomorrow. She wished he would let her wait and leave with him, but she did have to start on her extra lightsaber and get that out of way. She took a shuttle to the Imperial base on Yavin Two, and from there, she went to the house. 

It was almost dark outside by the time she was home, and she was tired, but since Vader had not said exactly when he would be home tomorrow, she did not want him to come home and see that she had gotten nothing done.

For a second, she considered trying to finish the lightsaber tonight, or at least by morning. She probably could, if she concentrated and did not get any sleep, and maybe it would impress her master.

That idea made her feel a little energetic. She went to kitchen and started heated a pot of water, for tea.

As she sat down on the couch in the living room, she suddenly sensed two Force-strong presences nearby - probably people who had just arrived on a transport. For a second, she wondered if they could be Yoda and a friend, but doubted it. Even though she had just met him once, she was sure that the next time she felt his presence, she would recognize it.

_And my master will hopefully let me deal with him_, she thought.

* * *

She had just finished her tea, and was thinking of taking a shower, when there was a buzz from the front door. 

For a moment, she froze. The house was outside of the small town, in the woods. Usually, the only people that came by were tourists or campers who had gotten lost. Amidala used to feel twinges of guilt whenever she ignored them, but that had stopped.

Whoever was at the door buzzed it again, then waited a moment and buzzed two more times. Amidala sighed, annoyed, and got up. She might as well use a mind trick and make them go away.

First, she peeked through the dark red curtains. A Force-strong human couple - perhaps the two new presences she had sensed earlier.

They were Amidala's parents.

She backed away from the window and closed her eyes for a second.

_Master_, she tried, hoping he would respond.

* * *

Vader was inside his chambers, and was just about to leave the _Executor_, when he heard his apprentice's voice in his mind. His first reaction was her desperate feeling. He could sense it through their mental connection, even though they were far apart - the _Executor_ was near Naboo, and Amidala had to be on Yavin Two by now. 

And he knew why. It was the change in their relationship - they had grown more closer than he admitted. That was why their mental connections were so strong lately. They could probably reach other from opposite sides of the galaxy.

_What is it_? he asked.

_I_... she started.

_I will return earlier than I said before. Do not bother me again_.

_I...yes, Master_.

* * *

Amidala sighed and peeked through the curtains again. Jobal was sitting inside her and Ruwee's speeder now, and Ruwee was standing near the front, looking at the engine. A joyous look was on his face - he must have just fixed whatever was wrong with it. 

He closed the front hood and quickly got inside. He and Jobal talked about something, looking at the house again. After a moment, they slowly started to ride away, careful not to hit any trees or bushes.

Amidala watched until she could no longer see them, then went upstairs to her room.

* * *

**Author's note**: If my updates are a little slow, it's because I'm starting on the re-write of Dark Hearts. And again, I won't delete the old one until the re-write is up. 


	28. Chapter TwentyEight

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

Darth Amidala forgot about starting on her extra lightsaber; she knew she would not be able to concentrate. She could not wait for her master to come back. She had the same lonely, helpless feeling that she had while walking through the swamp on Dagobah, before encountering Yoda.

While waiting for Darth Vader, she took a shower. Once or twice, she almost started crying, but managed to hold her tears back. Of course she was going to tell her master that her parents had been here. He might be annoyed that she had gotten upset over it, but he would probably be more angry if she did not tell him anything at all.

It was almost three hours before he came home. Amidala was laying near the center of her bed, leaning against the pillows. She thought of quickly getting under the covers and pretending to be asleep, before her master saw her, but she did not have a chance. He came to her room instantly.

"You are here," he said.

Amidala froze, wondering if he had given her any orders that she had forgotten, but she did not sense any anger in him.

"Yes, Master..." she started.

"Good."

"Do you want me to go somewhere?"

"No," Vader answered, sitting on the edge of the bed, near her.

He seemed to be busy thinking about something else, but Amidala knew that she could not avoid telling him this. Strangely, it did not make her very nervous. She was so relieved that he was home, even if it was possible that he was going to be mad at her.

"Master, my parents came here," she said.

He looked at her. "Did they?"

"Yes - they came to the door, but I didn't answer it," she elaborated, sitting up. "I think their speeder was having problems, but my father fixed it, and then they left. That was all."

"I saw them."

"You did, Master?"

"In town," Vader said, looking at his apprentice again. "You ignored them?"

"Yes, Master," she replied, now realizing why he had been a little surprised to see her - he thought she might have tried to escape with Ruwee and Jobal.

"Good," he told her again. "Did you feel any desire to leave?"

Amidala thought about that for a second first, but honestly answered, "No, Master."

He did not praise her this time. She lay down again. After a second, he gently rested his hand on her arm.

"That was foolish of me," he said. "I know you would never do anything stupid."

His apprentice made a small nod and closed her eyes, feeling relieved. That was one of those things that sounded like a compliment, but was really a soft warning. He moved a little closer and leaned back against the pillows.

Amidala tried burying her face next to his shoulder, not caring if he shoved her away. He surprised her by pulling her close to him. She rested her head on his chest, almost forgetting about her parents coming here. There was no reason to get excited, anyway. Even if she did dare to contact them, Vader would find out somehow. He would definately be angry, and perhaps hurt Jobal and Ruwee.

She was about to ask him for more details about where he had seen her parents - she wanted to at least be sure that they had not had anymore trouble on their way to the town - but then he moved and lightly pressed his cheek against hers.

"They would not want you," he whispered in her ear. "Do you know that? Why would they want anything to do with someone associated with me - especially my wife and apprentice?"

"I understand, Master," Amidala replied quietly.

He kissed her cheek, then her mouth. She forgot about Jobal and Ruwee again and started to return the kiss, glad that her master was in a good mood. He had not even asked if she started on her extra lightsaber or not, but she was not going to mention it.

* * *

The next morning, when Amidala opened her eyes, she heard the shower running inside her bathroom. She started to sit up, but froze when she sensed that she was pregnant.

She sighed, nervous, and glanced at the door to her bathroom. Her master had sensed it already, of course. And there were two new presences inside her - twins. She closed her eyes and concentrated on them for a long moment. A girl and a boy, she was certain.

Her excitement faded as she heard the shower inside the bathroom turn off. She sighed again and closed her eyes, pretending to still be asleep.


	29. Chapter TwentyNine

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

Vader stood near the bed for a second, looking at Amidala. He knew she was not really asleep, because he had felt the fear rise in her a moment ago. He waited another moment to see if she would give up and open her eyes, but she did not. He left the room.

He was pleased that she was pregnant. Now she would not have to search for an apprentice when it was time for her to have one. The two of them could train their son and daughter together, which would mean a family ruling the Empire. They would be much stronger than Palpatine had been by himself.

As he entered the living room, Vader wished that Shmi were here to see this. He knew that if she were still alive, she would not like most of the things he had done - not before he talked with her. Then she would be proud to see that he was ruling the Empire and was going to be a father, and had a beautiful wife.

That was one of the first times that he had mainly thought of Amidala as his wife, not his apprentice, but he did not pay much attention right now. He kept thinking of Shmi, and the practice of making someone come back to life.

He had thought about that before, but he had been busy with training Amidala during the past three years, so he had not had any time to practice it. But now that his apprentice was stronger, perhaps they could work together and try.

* * *

After almost half-an-hour, Amidala finally got out of bed, knowing she had to talk to her master. She got dressed and went to the living room.

"Good morning," she said softly. She walked past him and sat down on the couch. "What are you going to do to me, Master?"

"Nothing," he answered. "I am pleased about this."

"You are?" She looked up at him. She did not sense that he was lying, but there had to be some kind of trick.

"Yes." He sat beside her. She did not try to move closer to him. "You will not have to find your own apprentice."

"But I can't have two..."

"I will train them with you."

Amidala was quiet for a second, then said, "I would love that. I never thought we would be having a family..."

"Shut up. I am going to Imperial City. You will stay here. I want to give the officers time to think about the fact that you are my wife."

"Yes, Master," she replied. Several periodicals had already printed the news.

"I will be home tomorrow," he added, staring at her for a moment. She could guess what he was hinting at - her parents being here, and whether she might try something stupid while he was away.

"I love you," she said quietly.

After he left, she brought her laptop to the couch and re-read some of Lord Plageous's wife's diary, and also glanced at some lightsaber plans, even though her master had suggested that her extra lightsaber have exactly the same design as her other saber. She thought of starting on it, but doubted that she could concentrate very well until Vader returned. She wanted him to see that she'd had no interest in looking for her parents while he was away.


	30. Chapter Thirty

Make sure you read the author's note at the end of this chapter, thanks. 

**Chapter Thirty**

Darth Amidala was bored for the next couple of hours, other than going to a market in the second-nearest city and getting a few groceries. She was not completely familiar with her parents' Force-strong presences yet, but she was almost sure that they were still here, so she did not want to go to any of the stores she usually went to. After getting lost the other night, Ruwee and Jobal had most likely found the closest town, and Amidala did not want to run into them.

When there was a buzz from the door, that evening, Amidala was certain that it was one or both of her parents. She did not even bother going to peek through the curtains. She stayed in the kitchen until the door stopped buzzing.

Once she was sure they were gone, she went and looked outside, mostly hoping that Darth Vader would suddenly show up, even though he had said he would not be back until tomorrow. She had a feeling that he would come back early, with Jobal and Ruwee being around here.

* * *

Amidala tried staying in the living room that night and waiting for him, but she fell asleep after less than an hour. The next morning, she woke up when she heard the door opening. 

"Master," she said, sitting up. Her first thought was that she still had not started on her extra lightsaber, and she hoped that he wasn't going to ask about it.

"Were there any visitors?" he asked.

"My parents came by again, Master - I mean, I didn't look and see, but I think it was them," Amidala answered, looking up at him. She wondered why he was asking. Maybe it had been a trick.

He looked at her for a moment, then came over to the couch and sat down.

"Do you miss them?" he asked, almost nicely. He rested his hand on her leg.

She hesitated. This had to be a trick.

"Answer me."

"I don't know, Master," said Amidala. "Lately, I have been so busy, I haven't thought about them much."

"What do you mean?"

"Upset about you...you know," she answered, "and you've just taken over the Empire, and now, I am pregnant."

"I am pleased to hear that. I do not mind telling you that your parents bought a house here," Vader said.

"What?" Amidala closed her eyes. "We are moving, aren't we?"

"Yes," Vader said. Now that he wanted her to help him try to revive his mother, he did not want her to be distracted by Jobal and Ruwee living nearby.

She nodded sadly, but moving did not seem to be what was bothering her. She touched his hand, which was still resting on her leg. He let go and stood up.

"We are going to the _Executor_," he said.

She nodded again and went to her room to get dressed.

- The End -

**Note**: I hope none of you are mad, but since this story has a few new big things in it - Amidala being pregnant, Vader wanting her to help him bring Shmi back, etc. - I decided to go ahead and do a sequel instead of having this one story be 40 or 50 chapters long.

I'll upload the first couple of chapters of the sequel on my next update. No, it is not going to start with Amidala going into labor. I can't stand it when people have a pregnant female character and they skip over with a "Six / Eight Months Later..." Also, I haven't started on the re-write of Dark Hearts yet, since I've decided to do a sequel to this story, sorry.


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